Rockets’ leadership pleased by Amen Thompson’s play at point guard

When veteran Fred VanVleet tore the ACL in his right knee in September, many observers around the NBA wondered how the Houston Rockets would function without a traditional point guard.

Yet, entering this weekend, the Rockets are 14-5 while owning the league’s No. 2 offense.

A breakthrough from second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who has largely played off the bench, has helped to fill the backcourt void. But it’s third-year guard Amen Thompson that has replaced VanVleet as the initial ball-handler and starting point guard, at least in name — and to this point, it’s hard to argue with the overall results.

In a newly published story on Andscape, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears spoke with VanVleet and Rafael Stone, general manager of the Rockets, about the transition.

VanVleet said of Thompson’s play at point guard:

He’s handling it great. It’s a lot of processing and downloading information. But you see him getting more comfortable game by game. It’s a big responsibility, but he’s up for it.

Regarding Thompson, who earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors last season, Stone added:

He’s been playing point guard his whole life. When I looked back at his AAU footage, he was on the ball. We always had him as a 1 [point guard]. That was the super thing about Amen: he’s a really good basketball player.

In the story, Thompson named Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, John Wall, and Chris Paul as examples of veteran floor generals and on-ball playmakers that he regularly watches highlights of.

In particular, Rondo, Westbrook, and Wall are noteworthy templates, since each found ways to function despite having a 3-point shot that was inconsistent at best. (To this point, Thompson is a 21.7% career shooter from distance.)

This season, Thompson is averaging 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 steals in 36.3 minutes per game. All of those totals, except for rebounding, are career-highs for the 22-year-old.

It is worth noting that Thompson’s shooting has slipped from 55.7% last season to 47.4% this season, and his true-shooting clip has tumbled from 60.2% to 53.6%.

It could be a matter of sample size, or perhaps Thompson — who, at 6-foot-7, is easily tall enough and athletic enough to play in numerous positions and roles — found better spots to finish when operating in more of an off-ball capacity.

In the long run, as Sheppard continues scaling up his usage and VanVleet eventually returns, the Rockets will inevitably compare and contrast Thompson’s efficiency when used in various roles. But for now, there are on-ball reps to soak up — and to this point, the offense is humming and the team is winning.

With Thompson as its starter at point guard, Houston enters this weekend with 14 wins in its last 17 games. And even if his shooting efficiency dips, perhaps the tradeoff is worth it — from a team standpoint — to have the athletic phenom featured in a more prominent role, as an offensive engine.

“I’m just playing basketball,” Thompson told Andscape. “I don’t think about it. When I think about it, that’s when it doesn’t go as well. I know I guard the best player. I know I need to do whatever the team needs me to do, whether its [being in the] dunker [spot], if it’s starting a set, getting people in position to score.

“My biggest goal is to win a championship.”

More: Rockets pick up 2026-27 contract options on Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets’ leadership pleased by Amen Thompson’s play at point guard

Rockets’ leadership pleased by Amen Thompson’s play at point guard

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