Inside The Rockets

Rockets Rookie Amen Thompson Records Career-Highs in First Career Start vs. Celtics

Amen Thompson played arguably his best game for the Houston Rockets against the Boston Celtics.

Jeremy Brener

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Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson has had ups and downs in his first NBA season, but Sunday night brought one of his best moments against the Boston Celtics.

With Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. out with injuries, Thompson and fellow rookie Cam Whitmore stepped into the starting lineup for the first time this season.

Amen Thompson Ime Udoka
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Thompson in particular had a banner night, scoring 15 points while grabbing 14 rebounds in dishing out five assists in a loss to the Celtics. Both of those figures were career-bests for the No. 4 overall pick, and he also played more (32 minutes) against Boston than any other game this season.

The strong performance comes after Thompson came away with the game-saving defensive stop in Saturday night's overtime win against the Utah Jazz.

Thompson missed 19 games earlier this season with an ankle sprain, severely stunting his growth and development early on in his career. However, he's appeared to have gotten back on track as he plays meaningful minutes for the Rockets.

Short-Handed Rockets Put Up Hard-Fought Effort in Loss to Celtics

It remains to be seen what Thompson's role will look like when VanVleet re-enters the lineup, but the rookie is making a strong case to be given more of a responsibility as the season goes on.

Thompson and the Rockets are back in action on Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside the Toyota Center.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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