Exclusive: Expert Gives Opinion on Amen Thompson's Injury

The Houston Rockets got off to a great start in their six-game home stand, easily beating the New Orleans Pelicans 146-117. The Rockets were in control from the first quarter on, taking a double-digit lead into the second quarter.

This was the second game of a home-and-home series with the Pelicans. The Rockets won the first game in a much tighter contest on Thursday. In this game, the Rockets were up by 30 points at one point in the fourth quarter.

Usually, when a team is up by that many points, the bench is cleared, and the starters are in warmups. In this game, however, one starter stayed on the court midway through the quarter. Amen, Thompson had another stellar game. He scored 15 points, had 11 assists, and had nine rebounds.

At this point, there is only one reason to have Thompson still in the game: to grab one more rebound to get his sixth triple-double of his career after Thompson went up for a floater in the lane with six minutes left.

Thompson landed on Karlo Matković ankle and went straight to the ground.

I am actually speaking with @GameInjuryDoc getting answers for my article later today but I wanted to give my quick thoughts on Amen injury.

On one hand I understand where Udoka was coming from leaving him in. You want to reward your players and triple doubles are an… pic.twitter.com/vZpjzxOQLN
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) March 9, 2025

Thompson would go straight to the locker room and after the game was seen in a walking booth and on crutches.

Rockets wing Amen Thompson will undergo an MRI tomorrow, league source tells @TheAthletic.

Thompson — who exited Saturday’s blowout win over New Orleans after landing on Karlo Matkovic’s foot in the 4th quarter — was seen in a walking boot and crutches exiting the arena.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) March 9, 2025

An MRI will be performed at some point today to determine the severity of Thompson's injury. Rockets on SI spoke with Dr. Evan Jefferies, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, to get more insight into Thompson's injury, from his initial thoughts to the best—and worst-case scenarios.

Could you tell me about your background and how you got into physical therapy?

"I’ve been a doctor of physical therapy for almost 11 years now. I grew up playing sports and in high school I tore my meniscus playing basketball and went to physical therapy which sparked my interest for a career."

When you first saw the Amen Thompson injury what were your first thoughts?

"My initial thoughts were that it was similar to Jalen Brunson’s ankle sprain from a couple of days ago. It looked like he came down with a lot weight and he rolled his ankle to the point where it almost bent 90 degrees."

Can anything positive or negative be taken from a player's walk off the court when they have an apparent ankle injury?

"Sometimes! If he can’t walk at all you want to make sure you get an X-Ray to rule out a fracture. That way you know if you are dealing with just an isolated ankle sprain."

The fact that he was in a walking boot and on crutches after the game says anything about the severity?

"I think that means it’s significant. They are trying to reduce the weight and load on the ankle to help it heal. Wouldn’t surprise me if he is in that for the next week or so."

With this type of injury could it become a problem the rest of the season even after he recovers?

"Because we are so late in the season it makes it more difficult with the rehab cause you are trying to get someone back quicker since it’s the playoffs. If it was another point in the season he might have more time to heal."

I also asked if there were any similarities between Fred VanVleet's initial ankle injury and the one Thompson suffered.

"The main thing about ankle sprains is once you have a significant one, the ankle creates more laxity from the ligaments being stretched out. So that puts you at risks of easily doing it again. Thats what happen with the second time for Fred. You see it a lot with NBA players like Steph, lamelo who have chronically sprained the same ankle. Therefore, they typically start to wear ankle braces to reduce risks."

Dr. Jeffries again spoke on if this could also be the case for Thompson.

"Yeah, that’s always the risks especially if Amen Thompson ankle sprain is severe (Grade II-III sprain)."

Last question: What is the best case and worst-case scenario for Amen Thompson?

"Best case scenario is that it’s a Grade I sprain which would typically come with a 1-2 week healing timeframe. Worst case scenario it’s a Grade II sprain (partial tear of ligaments) which typically comes with a 4-6 week timeframe."

Hopefully, we will have more clarity on Thompson's injury on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Rockets, they were already without VanVleet and Reed Sheppard, who is out for at least a month. If Thompson has to miss significant time, the Rockets will be severely shorthanded at the guard position.

Thank you again to Dr. Jeffries for taking the time to answer my questions. Follow him @GameInjuryDoc on X.

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