Amen Thompson Has Been One of the Few Rockets Who Has Thrived Since December

Amen Thompson has flown under the radar lately, but he has gotten better and better as the season has gone on.

Jan 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) dribbles against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland (8) in the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have struggled since the start of December. After a 13-4 start to the season, the Rockets have had to deal with multiple injuries and a much more demanding schedule, featuring more back-to-backs and longer road trips over the last month and a half.

The Rockets hovered around .500 for most of December and have already had a three-game losing streak in January, which they just snapped with a win over the Chicago Bulls. Along with the schedule issues and injuries, several players' production has dropped off since the end of November.

Since December, only a couple of players have maintained or increased their production. One, of course, is Kevin Durant, who has continued his career-long excellence, averaging 27 points on 51.6 shooting since December 1st and shooting 39.7 from 3-point range, which is even more critical given the Rockets' shooting woes over the last month and a half.

Durant, however, hasn't been the only player to raise his play over the last 23 games. Amen Thompson has stepped up after a slow start to the season as well. With Alperen Sengun missing seven games during this time and Tari Eason missing 13, Thompson has taken his game to another level recently.

Amen Thompson has played at an All-Star level since December 1st

After a somewhat slow start, Thompson is averaging 20.0 ppg on 54.7% shooting since December 1st, after averaging 16.7 ppg on 47.1% shooting the first 17 games of the season. All while still guarding the opponents best guard or wing player.

Thompson scored 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the Rockets' win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Thompson also had eight rebounds, six assists, one block, and a steal, and only turned the ball over twice in 40 minutes. He has scored 20+ points 18 times this season, which equals his first two seasons combined.

Thompson didn't take a free throw in Sunday night's win but is shooting a career-best .797 from the free throw line on a career-high 4.7 attempts per game. Thompson is also second in the NBA in minutes per game, with a heavy workload, especially on the defensive end. Thompson is tasked with guarding the other team's best players, and he plays at one of the fastest paces in the NBA.

Thompson still has area he can improve on as his 3-point shooting has gone backward this season after a promising start in the preseason, but overall Thompson is having his best season as a pro and deserves considering for a possible All-Star spot in February.