Amen Thompson is the Rockets' REAL franchise player

What?

I'm referring to how they create offense is very similar archetypes. Both have similar rates of on ball creation. Amen this season is at 46% with a large diet of offensive put backs. Remove them at it's around 36% of his buckets are self created.

He's more of a play finisher even as a starter. For reference our on ball perimeter players in Fred and Jalen are at 58% and 63% respective. I don't think removing offensive put backs is going to reduce those numbers much for those guys as I doubt Fred and Jalen are doing offensive put backs on a night basis like Amen

 

Different ways of getting it done--Giannis is a brute, sure he has some guard skills, but Amen is more fluid and guard-like. But sure, if Amen puts on a lot of strength--Giannis wasn't this Giannis at age 21 (now 22 I guess).

 

People are really underestimating Iggy man.

Amen is a more freakish athlete but their offensive game is very similar.

 

Relative to Giannis, Amen definitely has more guard skills. Better ball handler, more lateral quickness etc
But obviously Giannis has a pretty good lead on length and strength. Amen can close the gap in strength though due to his age.

 

lol this sounds like something from Centel.

 

I'm sure Scola would say the same thing if he was with these guys.

 

Amen's guaranteed to be a star. Reed "made fun" of Jared McCain's attire at the draft, too, and that turned out to be good luck for McCain (before he tore up his knee and ended his season along with a chance at ROY honors)

And let's not talk shooting, Reed. (still praying for you and want you to become the gunner I know is in you, tho')

 

Surprised no one has posted this one yet - love Sam's breakdown videos:

 

Amen ascended a little too late for an All Star nod...but it's not too late for First Team All Defense!

 

He can still lead the Rising Stars to get to the AS final and be the MVP.

 

I think Amen will have a good shot at being our second all-star next year.

If we continue on this trajectory, we might have three.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6102963/2025/02/01/amen-thompson-jamal-murray-nba-second-half/

Amen Thompson, Rockets
How many times a day do you think Jabari Smith Jr. Googles “Wally Pipp”? Since Smith went out with a wrist injury and Amen Thompson replaced him as the Houston Rockets’ starting power forward, his meter has gone straight north. In a dozen January games, Thompson averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists; included in those stats are a game-winner in overtime in Boston and a 23-14-10 triple-double in a road win at mighty Cleveland.

I’m not sure who will move to the bench for Houston once Smith returns; I just know it won’t be Thompson. That ship has sailed. He’s already one of the Rockets’ three best players, especially once you factor in his defensive awesomeness, and he might be the first option before long.

In particular, one shot has become very important for Thompson: a little midrange pull-up/floater that he’s been able to knock down fairly consistently. He still can’t make a 3 to save his life, but the fact that he no longer has to get all the way to the rim has opened up a lot more scoring opportunities. His game-winner against Boston was a perfect example:

Thompson is shooting a respectable 47.5 percent between the rim and 16 feet this season, taking nearly as many shots from that range as he does at the rim. While you’d still prefer he get all the way to the basket, where he shoots a phenomenal 75.3 percent, having a respectable Plan B for when the rim is cut off and the shot clock is counting down makes it much easier to put the ball in his hands consistently.

 

When Reggie Miller made the Wally Pipp reference during the game, it was the most intelligent comment he's made in years.

 

I was reacting to the comp of Iggy that was circulated here for several weeks. I think it was Air Canada that was most aggresive about it, saying Iggy was his ceiling. I took Amen's most common stats as a starter and compared to Iggy's best year in each category and Amen's stats were better in every category. I didn't really look at the type of advanced stats you are talking about. It's really not worth arguing about. Amen has established himself as a future star player which I predicted the first time I saw him play.

He and Jalen will give us the best backcourt in the NBA for as long as they are Rockets. An injury forced Ime's hand on Amen and he is recognizing that he needs the ball in his hands more and more. Stats are constantly changing as the season progresses. If you take Jalen's stats for the season they are not very impressive. If you take them for the last 20 games or so, they are MVP quality. I choose to believe my eye over stats and believe we have 3 legitimate guys that can be superstars.

 

I like your optimism and hope you are correct.

 

100%. Not to mention some of the current All Stars will start dropping due to age (Harden, Curry, James, Durant, etc.). Very decent chance Amen and Sengun will be All Star fixtures starting next year and for the foreseeable future.

 

Can definitely see him as a poor man's Iggy, but I see Amen joining the upper tiers of self-creation by the time he's in his prime (not top tier like a Kyrie of course, but a young Lebron kind of tier?) and a higher tier of defense. It's just hard without a jumper and a handle that needs some polish and a crowded paint. It's asking too much of him in his second season imo.

I think he'll be comfortable doing that more than Iggy, who I think was an excellent and underrated player.

 

Might have been posted already, Legler (who was guarded at times by Jordan) compares Amen's defense to MJ:

 

I'm not putting a time line on Amen to improve his weaknesses. He literally seems to be growing every game. His middy jumper is a game changer if he just keeps being aggressive going to the hoop and not deferring to FVV and others. If he had been starting from game one, I think he would definitely be in the conversation for DPOY even with the ridiculous "only a big man can win it" bs. He would also be in the all-star game. I've said it before, but I have never seen a player that eats, sleeps, and breathes basketball since Larry Bird, who absolutely lived in the gym. He reminds me of Magic Johnson who just took over the league by mid-year his rookie season. I get tumbled on this site everytime I make comments like this, but I am absolutely batting a thousand on everything I've said about Amen. The only thing that is holding Amen back is Ime not turning over the reigns to him.