Rockets Coach Ime Udoka Proud of Amen Thompson's Development to Play Off-Ball

Houston Rockets' Amen Thompson made major growth when it came to his ability to play off-ball, and his development left coach Ime Udoka proud.

Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) rebounds / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka was proud of the improvements he had seen from each one of his players throughout the 2023-24 season. However, when it came to Amen Thompson, the rookie prospect from OverTime Elite may have taken the most significant growth.

Thompson came into the season as a player who could only impact the game as an on-ball guard. But by the end of the season, Thompson had developed into Houston's best off-ball threat. 

In a recent interview with Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network, Udoka expressed how proud he was of Thompson's growth and his ability to impact the game beyond having the ball in his hands.

"Understanding how to impact the game without the ball in his hands — for him, he took every challenge and accepted it," Udoka said. "He was a sponge, trying to learn as he went. The biggest sign of growth is that it took him one or two times to do something for the first time, and then it was on to the next."

Due to an ankle injury and illness, Thompson struggled to get adjusted to the NBA during the first two months. However, after receiving his first career start against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 21, the game became a turning point for Thompson despite the loss.

Thompson said that the game had started to slow down. And by the time Udoka inserted Thompson into the starting lineup following the loss of Alperen Sengun, the 21-year-old rookie began thriving while starting alongside Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet.

During the final 18 games of the season, Thompson averaged 14.0 points on 58.6 percent shooting and 9.2 rebounds.

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