Rockets' Amen Thompson Due For Breakout

Amen Thompson can build on his rookie year campaign with the Houston Rockets.
Oct 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) in action during the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Oct 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) in action during the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Houston Rockets young phenom Amen Thompson is hoping to build off of his strong finish to his rookie year.

CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger believes Thompson is the Rockets player with the most potential to have a breakout season.

"The Rockets are deep, so it's going to be hard for any one player to produce enough to merit a "breakout" tag. But if anyone's capable it's Thompson, who somehow looks even more athletically superior in his 6-foot-7 frame than he did as a rookie. When this guy get out in transition -- either with the ball or without it -- he's an absolute steamroller with his sights set directly on embarrassing the closest defender and his family with a poster dunk," Ward-Henninger writes.

Thompson still has some changes he has to make to his game in order to live up to the hype of being a top pick in the same draft class as Victor Wembanyama, but if he can make those corrections, he is due for a big season for the Rockets.

"Thompson's also an excellent cutter in the halfcourt, and perhaps this season we'll see a bit more of the playmaking that made him such an intriguing prospect. If he can somehow find any level of consistency on his jumper (hey, 2 for 5 from 2-point range this preseason!), that's just icing on the cake," Ward-Henninger writes.

Thompson and the Rockets are set to face off against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at 7:30 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.