Rockets' Amen Thompson Predicted to Win Most Improved Player

That would be a welcome sight.

Oct 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) warms up prior to the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

It was initially unknown exactly what type of role that Amen Thompson would have on the Houston Rockets. Thompson was an extraordinary floor general in the Overtime Elite, but that was the Overtime Elite.

Not the NBA.

The dropoff in the competition level is immense.

And the Rockets had Kevin Porter Jr. on the roster at the time, who had served as the team’s floor general. And the team signed Fred VanVleet to a max contract, which they certainly wouldn’t have done if they didn’t intend on him being the team’s point guard.

So again, where did that leave Thompson? Well, it would take months for us to find out, as he suffered an early injury, and spent a considerable amount of time in the G-League when he was healthy enough to play.

Eventually we got our answer. He operated as a Swiss Army knife, as he was a jack of all trades. Rockets coach Ime Udoka moved him to the wing.

And Thompson showed himself to be a defensive anchor.

But that was a year ago. Now, Thompson heads into year two, with the goal of improving and progressing.

And according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, he could be a lock for the Most Improved Player award.

"In the wake of last season’s successful prediction that Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey would win the award, I have no choice but to attempt to repeat the feat. Scanning rosters and eyeballing candidates, I’ve settled on Thompson.

I think perception will play a big role here. Thompson’s rookie season didn’t really register with fans, partly because he missed the beginning of it and only played 62 games, starting just 23.

However, he was a very successful rookie when he played. Check out these splits as a starter: 13.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 58.4 percent shooting, two assists for every turnover and nearly two “stocks” (steals + blocks) per night. He’ll have to become more threatening as a shooter (8 of 58 from 3 … yikes), but that’s the one area in which young players can sometimes make great progress.

With Houston possibly stepping up as a more serious playoff contender this year, and Thompson likely to receive a lot more playing time in the bargain, I expect him to become a more prominent name in the national discussion. Whether that’s enough to get him an award like this remains to be seen — usually it’s an out-of-left-field, never-saw-it-coming-type season that wins this honor. But if there’s a Maxey-ish-type year out there that maybe we could see coming, I think Thompson has the best chance of delivering it."

Thompson and the Rockets will take the court on Wednesday in their season opener against the Charlotte Hornets.

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