Three Houston Rockets Appear on The Athletic's '24 Under 24' List

Sam Vecenie recently ranked the top 24 players in the NBA under the age of 24, with three Rockets' players making the cut.

Apr 14, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

In a recent podcast series, Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon of The Athletic ranked their top 24 players in the NBA who are under 24 years old.

Three Houston Rockets players made the cut, with Reed Sheppard rounding out the list at No. 24, Amen Thompson coming in at No. 16 and Alperen Sengun landing at No. 14.

Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Brandon Miller, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Williams, Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, Cade Cunningham and LaMelo Ball were listed in order ahead of Sengun.

Sheppard is the only rookie to make the list after a strong freshman season at Kentucky and a solid performance in the Las Vegas Summer League. Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 53.6% from the field and 52.1% from 3-point range with the Wildcats in 2023-24 before being selected No. 3 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Sheppard averaged 20 points, 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in four summer league games, picking up where he left off in college.

Thompson's positioning comes after a solid rookie season for the athletic forward. The former top five pick averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his first year under Ime Udoka.

With so many talented young players still fighting for their spot in the rotation, Thompson didn't get as much opportunity as he likely should have, but will have the chance to establish himself even more in 2024-25.

Finally, Sengun was the highest rated Houston player after averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists per game in 2023-24. Still just 22-years-old Sengun's offensive game is already impressive and could take the next step if the Turkish big man is able to improve as a shooter.

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