Rockets' Amen Thompson Passes Wembanyama in One Shocking Stat

The Houston Rockets rookie recently took over one statistical category.

Amen Thompson is one of the more underrated rookies in the class of 2023. While Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Brandon Miller are the clear three best rookies (in that order), the Houston Rockets have one of the most promising young players.

An atypical point guard, Thompson uses his speed, length and athleticism to be an elite perimeter defender and pairs his explosiveness and court vision to be a weapon on offense. He is not a shooting threat, but he is a bit of a do-it-all guy who can bring the best out of any lineup.

Rockets Amen Thompson / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Thompson has played off the bench for much of the season and has only slotted into the starting lineup ten times. However, in those starts, he is averaging 14.4 points, 3.3 assists, and a whopping 10.5 rebounds.

All 7-3 of Victor Wembanyama is averaging 10.4 rebounds on the season. This is not to say that Thompson is a better rebounder than Wembanyama. 

The French phenom outclasses Thompson in rebounds per game overall and rebounds per 36 minutes. Wembanyama also scores more points, dishes more assists, and shoots better from three.

Of course, Thompson was not expected to be anywhere near as good as Wembanyama, so while it's a fun exercise to claim that Thompson is the best rebounder of the draft class, the reality is that his weaknesses (shooting) can be compensated by his unique defensive and interior skills that most guards don't have. 

Think Ben Simmons. While it's easy to clown on Simmons now for his sharp decline, there was a time before injuries ruined the trajectory of his career when he was a three-time All-Star, nightly triple-double threat, and always in the running for DPOTY.

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If Thompson can achieve that level of success, Rockets' fans shouldn't concern themselves with the accomplishments of their fellow Texas team down I-10.