The Importance of Surrounding Amen Thompson with Shooters

Until he can figure out his own jumper, Rockets guard Amen Thompson needs space to get to the rim.

When entering the NBA, it was no surprise that Amen Thompson was going to be a significant project as it related to perimeter shooting. As much time and effort as he spent at Overtime Elite, both him and his twin brother — Ausar Thompson — were still poor shooters. 

Even then, Thompson was a no brainer pick for the Houston Rockets with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. His positional size, elite athleticism, defensive upside and passing vision made up for the lack of shooting. 

As the point guard of the future in Houston, there’s no doubt he’s a cornerstone piece of the franchise. The 6-foot-7 guard dished out 163 assists in 62 games as a rookie, but also showed clear improvement as the season went on. In fact, he averaged 4.2 assists per game in his final 12 contests of the season. Pair that with his ability to clean the glass, and it’s easy to see how he notched a triple-double in the final game of the season and should have many more in his career. 

Even then, his lack of shooting is somewhat of a limitation on offense. Especially given he’s likely going to be a starter for the Rockets for the next decade, it’s important to put the right pieces around him. Until he becomes a more consistent shooter, defenses will sag off and scheme against him, which hinders his ability to leverage his best tools in getting to the rim. Especially given Alperen Sengun generally operates inside the arc as a more traditional center, the other three pieces in the starting and closing lineups need to be fit for purpose. 

Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore and Tari Eason all project to be quality shooters in the future, but none of those players shot better than league average from deep in this recent season. Those are three players who will almost certainly play many minutes alongside Thompson in the foreseeable future. 

As Houston drafts, makes trades and operates in free agency, roster construction will be increasingly important if Thompson is going to run the offense. The 13.8% shooter from deep is best when getting to the rim and using his athleticism, but for that to happen the floor needs to be well spaced.