“The way he uses his athleticism, I don’t think we’ve seen that in our league,” Kevin Durant says of Amen Thompson, his new teammate in Houston.
Brian Barefield
| Rockets Wire, Big Sarge Media
HOUSTON — Rising Rockets star Amen Thompson has a very stoic expression that can turn into a smile very easily, depending on the subject.
If you have been around the 22-year-old for the last two years, you know that nothing excites him more than talking about basketball.
That includes his epic battles with his twin brother, Ausar, who plays for the Detroit Pistons. Those battles often ended in what his father, Troy Sr., labeled a “spiritual walk” of nearly four miles to discuss his passion for the game and his struggles to accept losing to his brother.
Today, entering his third NBA season, that passion will be essential for the Rockets — and Thompson is prepared to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed.
That drive will be tested early with the absence of starting point guard Fred VanVleet, who is recovering from surgery on his torn right ACL and appears likely to miss the entire regular season.
After the departure of Jalen Green in the Kevin Durant trade, Thompson was already expecting to start in the backcourt alongside VanVleet. Now, the No. 4 overall selection from the 2023 NBA draft is tasked with becoming Houston’s lead playmaker.
According to the Rockets, the primary ball-handling responsibilities will belong to Thompson and second-year guard Reed Sheppard.
“I have been working on my ball handling,” Thompson said during Monday’s media day at Toyota Center. “Unfortunate that it happened like this (VanVleet’s injury). I worked on all aspects of my game, shooting and ball handling.”
After playing primarily as a point guard prior to the NBA, Thompson was mainly used in the frontcourt over his first two seasons with the Rockets.
It was a role he was not familiar with, but one he was willing to play in order to get on the court and display his skills.
“I have never played forward consistently,” Thompson told Rockets Wire last season before taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. “But when I was asked to do it, I said yes, without hesitation, because I love to hoop. I needed to show that I could do that.”
After averaging 22.4 minutes per game as a rookie in the 2023-24 season — a low total that was largely due to injuries and illness — the former Overtime Elite star bumped that to 32.2 in his second season. Along the way, he started 42 of the 69 regular-season games that he played in, and he earned a permanent starting role midway through 2024-25.
To say the least, it’s a role he won’t relinquish any time soon.
Along with the increased minutes, Thompson’s scoring, rebounds, and assists also saw significant improvements as his play helped Houston reach the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. The Rockets finished at 52-30, representing the second-best record in the Western Conference and fourth-best in the NBA.
Not only did Thompson surprise the league with his quickness and elite ability to reach the rim on offense, but he also showed his high-level defensive skills and willingness to guard the opponents’ best player. That led to him earning a selection on the 2025 All-Defensive First Team.
“That dude is special,” said Draymond Green, the veteran Golden State Warriors forward and a five-time All-Defensive First Team selection.
“He reminds me of a younger version of myself defensively, but he is way more athletic,” Green said after a hard-fought, seven-game playoff series versus Thompson and the Rockets. “That dude is special, and he is going to be trouble for a very long time in this league.”
Kevin Durant, who played alongside Green with the Warriors for three previous seasons, echoed that sentiment during Monday’s media session.
“Amen (is) a do-everything, 6-foot-7, athletic, just like a freak of nature,” Durant said. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen that type of athleticism. The way he uses his athleticism, I don’t think we’ve seen that in our league. So, to be alongside that… I’m excited for it.”