Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson: 'Best Athlete' In NBA

An NBA scout said that Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson could be the best athlete in the NBA.

Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson might be the "best athlete" in the NBA before he's even played in an official game according to an NBA scout. 

In an NBA survey conducted by ESPN's Tim Bontemps, 15 scouts, coaches and executives from across the league were polled on a variety of topics regarding the upcoming season. 

"You put [Amen Thompson] on an NBA floor today," an East scout said, "and he might be the best athlete. Great passing and playing in transition. He rebounds, he defends."

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One of the topics was "Who will be the best 2023-24 rookie -- not named Victor Wembanyama -- in five years?" The results showed No. 2 overall pick Scoot Henderson in first place with 11 votes, the Rockets' Thompson twin in second with 3 votes and the Detroit Pistons' Thompson twin getting the final vote. 

Thompson was drafted No. 4 overall by Houston out of Overtime Elite where he averaged 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.4 steals. At 20 years old, the Rockets have made Thompson a key piece in the future of the franchise along with young players like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason.

Houston also showed up in two other polls: It received one vote for worst offseason and four votes for the most surprising move of the offseason, the Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks signings. 

Training camp will begin for the Rockets on Oct. 3 in Louisiana at McNeese State University. After that, the preseason will tip-off with a home game against the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m.