Rockets' Amen Thompson Illustrates All-Around Potential in Victory vs. Trail Blazers
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The Houston Rockets began their three-game road trip with a 123-107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night inside the Moda Center.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with a team-best 27 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field. However, Amen Thompson may have had the most significant impact.
The rookie guard from Overtime Elite finished the game with 16 points off the bench. Thompson also added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals — another display of his all-around potential.
He had five rejections in the win, breaking the Rockets' rookie guard record for blocks in a season with 31. A record that was set by Steve Francis during his 1999-00 Rookie of the Year season with 29 blocks.
Rockets' Amen Thompson (1) comes down with a rebound next to Portland Trail Blazers forward Rayan Rupert (72) during the second half at Moda Center.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
"They put me on Ant [Anfernee Simons], just trying to control him, but also, crashing the glass so we can get it out faster and run. Playing defense and sprinting out and running; it changes the momentum in our favor."
Thompson has displayed the all-around potential that gave the Rockets confidence to select him with the No. 4 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. It took a while for him to find his footing in the league due to unforeseen circumstances at the start of the year.
A Grade 2 ankle sprain and flu symptoms sidelined Thompson for 19 of 20 games from Nov. 4 to Dec. 18.
The time he missed was hard. Injuries and an illness not only forced Thompson to miss out on the chance to help his teammates, but the absences could have interfered with his development.
However, Thompson has since established himself as an integral part of coach Ime Udoka's rotation since the calendar flipped to 2024.
It has been over two months since Thompson received his first career start against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 21. The milestone came in a defeat. But Thompson said his play against the Celtics gave him an opportunity to learn schemes while the game became more instinctual.
"He guarded several different guys," Udoka said. "He zeroed in on his assignments, and that was the main thing...Anfernee Simons had it rolling early, but great job by Amen, who guarded him most of the second half. He generated energy for us for sure."
