Amen Thompson has Been Playing at an All-Star Level for Rockets Lately

Following the trade that saw the Houston Rockets land Kevin Durant, the expectations shifted for the Rockets. The move was seen as an indication that the Rockets were going all-in.

The team finished second in the Western Conference with 52 wins in the previous season. A key piece of that 52-win team was Amen Thompson, who emerged as one of the league's best players on the defensive end of the floor.

Durant's presence figured to make things easier for Thompson on the offensive end, as well. Then Thompson was suddenly shifted to a different position right before the start of the preseason.

The Rockets needed to switch Thompson to point guard, following the season-ending injury to Fred VanVleet. Thompson hadn't played the position since joining the NBA, although he did play the position both in high school and in the Overtime Elite.

He struggled to play the position at the onset, because his skillset is better suited on the baseline and in the dunker spot, not at the top of the key or bringing the ball up the court. On the season, he's averaging 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 52.5 percent from the field and 78.4 percent from the foul line.

He's had a career season, in totality. And lately, he's especially been turning it on. During Houston's five-game winning streak, Thompson has averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.8 steals, .6 blocks, 60.8 true shooting, 82.1 percent from the foul line and less than one turnover per contest (0.8 turnovers, to be exact).

The turnovers is quite impressive, considering Thompson's lack of a handle.

In totality, Thompson has had the third-most games with at least 15 points, five rebounds and two steals, with 22 such games. Only Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard have had more such games than Thompson.

Thompson is never going to be an outside shooter, which is another limitation. He hasn't made a three in four consecutive games.

But he also has not taken one in each of the Rockets' last two games. And prior to that four-game stretch, Thompson had made 40 percent of his outside attempts in the previous four games.

He's made progress of late, as it pertains to his outside shooting. In the month of March, Thompson made 38.9 percent of his three point field goals (albeit on low volume -- 1.1 attempts).

He's also played 37.3 minutes per night, which ranks second in the entire association. And he's played the most total minutes in the league, despite missing two games.

He's certainly been turning it on at the right time.