Entering his third season with the Houston Rockets, Amen Thompson (No. 37) is already considered a top-40 NBA player by ESPN’s media panel.

But at just 22 years old, the talented and versatile 6-foot-7 prospect still has considerable room to get even better.

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ESPN’s Bobby Marks, formerly an NBA front-office executive with the Brooklyn Nets, named Thompson when asked to make a bold prediction about a top-100 player.

Marks wrote:

Amen Thompson (No. 37) will crack the top 20. I am not yet ready to put Thompson on the All-NBA Team, but the body of work on defense last season in Houston warrants talk for NBA All-Defensive Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors this season. Thompson had a breakout sophomore season, leading the NBA in effective field-goal percentage allowed as a contesting defender. He ranked fifth in defensive estimated plus-minus. Granted, his offensive continues to be a work in progress, as he shot 27.5% on 3-pointers and 68.4% from the foul line.

The good news for the Rockets is that they already have an All-Star duo in Alperen Sengun (ranked at No. 25) and Kevin Durant (No. 9).

So, should Thompson take the type of leap that Marks envisions — thus giving Houston three of the league’s top 25 players, all presumably All-Star caliber — it’s hard to imagine the 2025-26 Rockets (assuming relative health) not being legitimate championship contenders by the time the 2026 playoffs begin next April.

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In 42 games as a starter last season, Thompson averaged 16.0 points (56.0% FG), 9.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.2 turnovers, 1.7 steals, and 1.6 blocks in 35.9 minutes.

More: NBA rank 2025: ESPN projects Rockets with four top-75 players

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ESPN’s Bobby Marks: Amen Thompson on verge of being top-20 NBA player