The "franchise player" debate has been settled. It's Amen.

If he is… he needs to start playing like it.

 

This sums everything up. And the team that pays him franchise-player money will regret it.

 

Some of Amen’s numbers are concerning in terms of his FG% on drives and layup %.
But I saw something very encouraging in his last 8 games of the season and the playoffs and I am hopeful for next season. Around this time around late MAR/APR there were reports that the Rockets were designing plays for him and using him in different ways. Here’s those numbers:

Last 8 of season:
11 drives Drive FG% 60% 8.3 pts/game
Touches total: 79.1 Front CT Touches: 30
Elbow touches: 2.6
Paint Touches: 7.1 Paint FG% 84. Pts: 6.7
PITP 16.3
Midrange: 38%
Less 5 ft 84%
10-14 ft 33%
15-19 50%
TS% 67.5
EFG% 63.3
Ast pts created: 17.6

Playoffs:
14.2 drives drive FG%: 40% pts: 7.2 pts
Touches total: 86.2 Front CT Touches: 33.2
Elbow touches: 3.3
Paint Touches: 6.3 Paint FG% 82 pts 5.5
PTIP 11.7
Midrange: 45%
Less 5ft 61%
10-14 ft 54%
15-19 ft 42%
TS% 55.3
EFG% 50
Ast pts created 14.3

Prior to:
11.3 drives drive FG% 50% 6.1 pts
Touches total: 72.8 Front CT Touches: 27.5
Elbow touches: 1.7
Paint Touches: 6.9 FG% 67% pts 5.4
Midrange: 26%
Less 5ft 67%
10-14 ft 34%
15-19 ft 34%
PITP 12.4
TS% 58.5
EFG% 53.7
Ast pts created 13.7

While his TS% and EFG% increased in that hot last 8 games his numbers dipped a bit for the playoffs. His drive efficiency increased in the 8 games but dipped in the playoffs. His points and drives per game also went up. He got more touches overall in the playoffs and in the last 8 games indicating he had increased workload at the end of the season and playoffs. His paint FG% increased in last 8 and playoffs as well as points in the paint after touch. His midrange numbers and 10-14 and 15-19 increased during this period as well as elbow touches suggesting he is getting the ball more in this mid range area and shooting more efficiently in this area. He also increased pts generated from his assists in these 2 periods suggesting improved playmaking.

 

centers don’t beat defenders off the dribble from the perimeter or run full court 94 ft end to end on transition you stupid idiot. Shut the hell up dummy

 

where are you getting the data he isn’t shooting over 3 feet?

 

Attempts and makes by distance

Amen Thompson 2025-26 Shooting | Basketball-Reference.com

 

Define "franchise player money"

 

Amen is holding back Reed Sheppard. There I said it

 

I define franchise playee as most minutes with best bpm net ratimg on off.on the team

His salary will reflect rhat. Player with best contract handed out by the team.

 

I just came back to say we dont have a Franchise player. Ive never seen a franchise player score less than 20 AND cant shoot lol. These Franchise posts are just cope for our teams bad management.

 

you know Scottie Barnes franchise player of the Raptors one year older than Amen? he averaged less points per game in the reg season than Amen and less overall FG% as well

 

Amen basically averaged 20 ppg after the All Star break on .644 TS%. But hey, I’ve discovered from this thread that clearly the anti-Amen contingent don’t actually watch the Rockets.

 

they only look at full season average points and 3 pt %

 

Yes. The not defending Amen well with the ball and depending on plenty of help defense at the rim only works if there is plenty of help defense. Amen still scores well in this situation, usually, but it kills the team offense. The stretch 5 takes out/ prevents the help defense from playing 2.9 defense.

The Rockets played a little small ball Amen's rookie season and the offense worked great. Defense sucked. The Rockets played some small ball this year with DFS and the offense generally worked. Again, the defense was horrid.

Maybe the defense changes and finds a different way to exploit Amen's poor shooting. However, the way Amen is currently defended with the ball only has worked because the Rockets defense just doesn't work with JSJ (the way he plays now) or DFS as center.

 

Did Amen make him not pay attention to opponents cutting to the paint? Did he make him miss wide open 3 pt shots and layups? Did he telekinetically force the ball from his hands in Game 3?

 

Change that name to

A Man!

 

Franchise player money is generally max contracts and for a true franchise guy, they outperform that.

It's that next tier or two of players that wreck teams cap sheets - the guy you end up paying max money to but he doesn't outperform.

Prime Harden, Luka, prime Lebron, KD, Steph Curry, Jokic, Wemby, Kawhi, SGA, Ant, Tatum, Brunson as well as a healthy Giannis (if that ever happens again) and maybe Haliburton.
Most of these guys can carry a team offensively pretty much the All NBA first or 2nd team.

After that short list, I think teams start regretting the max and most definitely supermax decision - Booker, AD, Lillard, Jimmy Buckets, Embiid, Kyrie, Chet, Gobert, Mobley & Donovan Mitchell.
Guys on the next level down or that just can't stay healthy for whatever reason.

I wouldn't put anyone on the Rockets roster in either tier or even the next tier beyond that.

 

What do you think Amen Thompson is worth?

 

If you put them on the trade market, Amen would fetch way more than guys like Chet, Gobert, Mobley, and Mitchell.