Amen Thompson is very strong. While it is true that he has very little fat on his frame, he does have a lot of muscle and is adding on even more. He has gained about 10 lbs in the last year. He is an overall very impressive physical specimen - and he has no fear or physical contact. I know that the Rockets need FVV back - but Thompson's decision making and passing has rapidly improved with the added responsibility. I really hope he doesn't go back to what he was before the FVV injury, because he is capable of a whole lot more as a ball handler and creator for himself and others.
Go look at Amen highlights on NBA (IG) and look at the paint and who is playing center… thats 1 huge thing Alpi needs to improve on, being aware of where his teammate is and kind of clearing the paint so they have a easier finish
Just want to note that I'm not talking about strength when I'm saying Amen isn't really a LeBron or Giannis. I'm talking about bulk. A 300 pound non-athletic fat guy barreling down on you is going to be more painful than a 210 pound Amen because of the sheer mass. Amen has the strength to absorb contact in the paint. But he's not putting a world of hurt on you while doing so. Not saying either type is better than the other. NBA stars come in all shapes and sizes, just that I don't feel like those are good style comps.
There is a lot of truth that 210 pounds isn't the same as 240 lbs. What I would say to that is that I agree with you that I don't think that Thompson will ever be as heavy as LeBron, but I do think he is going to continue adding weight and can likely get up to 225-230 LBS in his prime, whereas LeBron was about 240-250 lbs in his prime.... so smaller, but not as big a difference as one would expect. I don't think they are a perfect comparison by any means, but I do think that Amen is very physical and uses his mass well and that will only become more pronounced with time.
The best 2 man lineups fielded by HOU includes Sengun. Amen-Alp has Net Rating of 8.7 while Tari-Alp has Net Rating of 9.1. All the highest ORTG also includes Sengun. https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?slug=advanced&GroupQuantity=2&TeamID=1610612745 This is also true with the best 5 man lineups fielded by Rockets. Common denominator is Alperen Sengun. In fact rhe most explosive 5 man lineups, both offensively + defensively: FVV-DB-Amen-Tari-Alp 125 ORTG 72.1 DRTG 52.9 NetRTG https://www.nba.com/stats/lineups/advanced?slug=advanced&GroupQuantity=5&TeamID=1610612745
Was a guy on my radar before the Rockets used up their cap to extend Sengun and Jalen. Hard for the Rockets to sign him outright this offseason unless they jettison Brooks and outright let FVV go. Not saying I'm against this myself, but the Rockets better be sure they get him and not leave themselves in a Brook Lopez situation.
Do you watch games or do you just look at stats and draw a conclusion? How many times do JG or Amen drive and run into Alpi or Alpi crashes into paint too early bringing his man to the rim it has zero to do with all the stats you provided above, it’s about him improving his awareness to make the game easier for his teammates
I try to stay away from the more toxic members of cf.net but it's laughable that you think so highly of yourself. As fans we all watch the games but some add value metrics to support their opinions, others demand everyone believe their loudly stated perspectives as truth.
I am a Rockets fan first + foremost but I've not hidden my admiration for Amen Thompson. Still believe that Rockets should build around core of Amen-Jalen-Alp and perhaps Tari based on his health. But it's obvious from the few weeks I've been on this forum that you are the very thing you despise - player only fans. You obviously hate everything about Alperen + attack anyone who you believe does not like Jalen.
Given Amen's slightly-shorter stature, 230lbs would be a comparable build to Giannis. If he added that much muscle mass and retained most of his athleticism he would be a nightmare for opposing teams in the paint, just like Giannis is.
"The eye test and numbers don't lie, as Thompson has a chance to become the youngest Rocket in history to earn a Defensive All-NBA selection and one of the youngest in NBA history. At 22, Thompson would tie Hakeem Olajuwon for the youngest in franchise history and become the third youngest player to earn this award in league history." https://www.si.com/nba/rockets/news...-youngest-all-defensive-selections-in-history
Do you think Amen will have a problem if Rockets try to bring in another long term starting point guard after Fred? I don’t see him being content getting stuck behind another point guard, Green, and Sengun for touches. He’s the type of dude, and I mean leader, who is gonna want that ball in his hands within the next couple seasons
I don't think this will be a problem Ime clearly knows what Amen brings to the table and is going to start transitioning toward him being the primary ballhandler immediately I also don't think Amen cares that much what role he plays precisely, it's not his personality. I'm sure he wants touches but I don't think he's concerned about what position people label him as
