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Amen Thompson continues to make strides

Ime Udoka inserted Amen Thompson into the lineup and it’s become apparent the Rockets have another budding young star in the mix.

Amen Thompson’s rise has lifted the Rockets to greater heights.

The Rockets were riding high on December 22, 2024. They were in third place in the West behind only the Grizzlies and Thunder with a 19-9 record. They were smashing preseason expectations and looking like a team entering its competitive window sooner than many imagined. Alperen Sengun was off to a terrific start and Jalen Green was looking every bit the breakout player Houston had hoped to see entering his fourth season. 

There wasn’t anything missing from Houston’s nucleus, necessarily. They had the ingredients of a team that was ready to shake off the rebuilding label and set their sights on making some noise in the playoffs. 

At that point, Amen Thompson had started all of two games out of 28. He was averaging a steady 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 26.8 MPG. And then, coach Ime Udoka inserted Thompson into the starting lineup and it’s become apparent the Rockets have another budding young star in the mix. 

In his 18 games from Dec. 23 onward, Thompson has started all but one game and averaged 17.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.

His impact in the box score is obvious, but a look at the film shows Thompson is putting a scare into opponents on both ends of the floor.

Thompson has next-level athleticism, and he’s not only starting to unlock it but harness it in a way that is going to be tough for opponents to deal with, especially when they already have to worry about the likes of Green and Tari Eason.

It might not seem like Thompson’s role increase has paid massive dividends, but that’s only looking at the surface level. The Rockets played the toughest NBA schedule by SOS in January and have played the Grizzlies and Knicks on the road in two of their last three. They’ve also beaten Cleveland twice and notched a road win over the Celtics in recent weeks. 

Thompson’s rapid rise from spark off the bench to budding star gives Houston yet another matchup nightmare at its disposal. The West is a gauntlet, spearheaded by Oklahoma City, with the Grizzlies and Nuggets among others also very much in the mix. The Lakers’ addition of another superstar via the Luka Dončić blockbuster trade only deepens the pool in the West. 

Even so, the Rockets getting this level of return from Thompson over the last month, with room for even more improvement, is a reason to believe that Houston has the pieces to be a force come playoff time.

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