Amen Thompson Impressing Ime Udoka and Rockets Coaching Staff Thus Far

Over the summer and through the start of preseason, Thompson is showing why he deserves the hype.

Oct 7, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) dunks the ball against Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks (0) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets wing and second-year player Amen Thompson has been showing why he can be more than a mere contributor to an NBA team. Thompson competed with the USA Basketball Select Team over the summer, and has consistently put in the work through Houston's offseason workouts.

Throughout the preseason and training camp, Thompson's improvements and abilities have not gone unnoticed. Second-year head coach Ime Udoka spoke with Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network on Thompson's all-around abilities.

After this summer, the secret is out on Amen Thompson.

“He’s been one of the best, if not the best, guy on the court a lot of times.” -Ime Udoka

(H/t @Jonathan_Feigen) @SpaceCityHN pic.twitter.com/cuP4ZrT7Zf

— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) October 11, 2024

“He’s been one of the best, if not the best, guy on the court a lot of times," Udoka said. "I think he's already taken a big step but we're going to need that from him and want him to carry that over into the season."

In his rookie season, Thompson proved to be a Swiss Army Knife as the Rockets went 41-41. Thompson averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals in 22.4 minutes per game. In 23 games as a starter, Thompson averaged 13.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals, playing 30.7 minutes per game.

There's been rumblings of Thompson deserving a starting spot this season, over either Dillon Brooks or Jabari Smith Jr. This is due to his two-way abilities, and while he isn't necessarily wowing anyone in the scoring department, Thompson has proven to be impactful in almost all other ways on the court. The 2023 first-round pick is averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in 24.5 minutes through two preseason games.

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