Rockets' Amen Thompson Receives First Career Ejection vs. Mavericks

A flagrant two penalty against the Mavericks resulted in Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson receiving his first career ejection.

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) drives with the ball as / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson received his first career ejection Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Mavericks. The ejection came with 4:29 left in the first quarter when Thompson elbowed Maxi Kleber, who fell to the ground following the hit. Thompson received a flagrant two-penalty as a result.

The game marked Thompson's return following his one-game absence due to an ankle injury. He played eight minutes, recording five points, three rebounds and three assists prior to his ejection.

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) drives with the ball as / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Thompson has displayed the all-around potential that gave the Rockets confidence to select him with the No. 4 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. But it took a while for him to find his footing in the league due to unforeseen circumstances at the start of the year.

A Grade 2 ankle sprain and flu symptoms sidelined Thompson for 19 of 20 games from Nov. 4 to Dec. 18. The time he missed was hard. Injuries and an illness not only forced Thompson to miss out on the chance to help his teammates but the absences could have interfered with his development.

Amen Thompson was hit with a flagrant 2 and ejected after this hard foul on Maxi Kleber.

Good or bad call? 🤔pic.twitter.com/3etp4N6hNs

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 7, 2024

However, Thompson has since established himself as an integral part of coach Ime Udoka's rotation since the calendar flipped to 2024. 

Its been nearly four months since Thompson received his first career start againstthe Boston Celtics on Jan. 21. The milestone came in a defeat. But Thompson said his play against the Celtics gave him an opportunity to learn schemes while the game became more instinctual.

In 57 games, Thompson has averaged 9.2 points on 52.3 percent shooting from the field and 6.4 rebounds.