Rockets' Amen Thompson: 'I'm Going to Be a Great Shooter'

Amen Thompson struggled as a shooter in his pre-NBA career, but the Houston Rockets point guard hopes to improve that aspect of his game.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 24, 2023

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Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson is one of the best point guard prospects to come out of the NBA Draft in recent years. Yet, he was the No. 4 overall pick and the second point guard off the board after Scoot Henderson.

Yes, Victor Wembanyama is a generational prospect that probably goes No. 1 in over 90 percent of all drafts, but what prevented Thompson from going No. 2 or 3 or 4?

Many draft analysts would probably say his shooting abilities, but Thompson is working on that aspect of his game.

"I’m just trying to get better," Thompson said via Kelly Iko of The Athletic. "Become a better shooter. It’s going to take time. But I put in work, so I’m not worried about that. I know I’m going to be a great shooter. Just going to get to my strengths until then."

Thompson shot just 25 percent from three this past season in the Overtime Elite league, which won't cut it in the NBA. However, as a passer and pure athlete, his strengths far outvalued his weaknesses.

With coach Ime Udoka leading the way in his development and assistant Ben Sullivan as a proven shooting coach, Thompson has potential to improve in that area and become one of the best players to come out of this year's draft class.

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Published Jun 24, 2023

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.