Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green talks about two Houston Rockets stars after eliminating them in the first round.
The Houston Rockets finally snapped their four-year NBA playoff drought after clinching the second seed in the Western Conference.
However, the Rockets’ happiness was short-lived as they were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the opening round itself.
The series did last until seven games, but at the end of the day, the Warriors came out as the superior team as they registered a dominant Game 7 win.
Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty ImagesDraymond Green on Amen Thompson
Although the Dubs walked away with a first-round series win, a few Rockets players impressed the team’s veterans.
The most common name is none other than sophomore forward Amen Thompson, who even Stephen Curry admitted gave him nightmares on the defensive end of the floor.
After Curry, Draymond Green recently spoke about Thompson and explained why he is a special talent for the Rockets.
“Thompson played with a lot of force. He got a chance to be special. A lot of respect for young fella. He’s special, the way he defends, the way he get downhill,” Green said.
He added: “He’s certain of himself, he’s athletic as hell, he relentless, a lot of respect.”
Thompson averaged 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game vs the Warriors, while playing suffocating defense.
Green on Alperen Sengun
Apart from Thompson, the 4x NBA champ was extremely impressed with what Rockets’ center Alperen Sengun did during the contest.
“Sengun, I got a lot of respect for him. I’ve played against a lot of guys, and I always tell people, in a playoff series, one of two things happen,” Green stated.
“You either completely lose respect for someone, or you gain respect or someone, because you see who really real. You see a lot of people fake. Sengun real man, he didn’t back down at all,” he added.
Earning such praise from a seasoned veteran is no small deal for Thompson and Sengun. Now, they have to live up to the hype and lead the Rockets to sensational playoff runs, potentially for the foreseeable future.