Being the Starting Point Guard is Still a Work in Progress For Amen Thompson

Throughout Amen Thompson NBA career he has been known for his elite athleticism, lockdown defense and highlight plays. Coming into the draft many saw him as a point guard as he had played that position his entire basketball career before the NBA. That changed when he was drafted fourth overall by the Rockets in the 2023 NBA draft.

That same offseason, the Rockets were transitioning from a rebuilding team to one competing for a playoff spot, and that began with the additions of Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet. VanVleet was brought in to be the leader on and off the court as the Rockets' starting point guard.

That meant a former All-Star and NBA champion already occupied the position Thompson had played for most of his life. The Rockets' first thought was to have Thompson play as a backup point guard, but that quickly changed once Thompson hit the floor later that season.

As his rookie season went along, one thing became clear: the Rockets needed to do whatever they could to get him on the court. That meant playing at another position besides point guard. Ime Udoka started experimenting with having Thompson at either forward position to take advantage of his athleticism and ability to cut and elevate over any defense, especially from the dunker spot.

They also wanted to find a way to get him on the court because of his already elite defense. It didn't take long for him to become one of the Rockets' best defensive players alongside Brooks. The 2024-25 season is where Thompson really took off at the forward position, especially after the injury to Jabari Smith. The Rockets moved Thompson into the starting power forward position, and he hasn't looked back, starting every game since January of 2025.

That led to an All-NBA Defensive First Team selection and recognition as one of the best young players in the NBA. Thompson's spot was set in stone as the Rockets' starting forward going into the 2025-26 season. However, those plans quickly changed after Fred VanVleet's injury.

Amen Thompson is learning on the fly as the Rockets starting point guard.

After the news came down that VanVleet had suffered a potential season-ending injury before the Rockets' training camp, the focus quickly shifted to who would take his spot as the starting point guard. The consensus is that it would come down to second-year guard Reed Sheppard or Thompson. Udoka decided that Thompson, who has more experience at point guard, would be the Rockets' floor leader.

So far this season has been up and down when it comes to Thompson running the offense. Thompson is still an elite defender and a highlight reel almost every game but he is still learning to when to get everyone else involved but at the same time not neglecting his own offense. Rocket on SI spoke with Udoka about that very thing after Tuesday practice.

Amen Thompson is already one of the best defensive players in the league and is in his first full season as the Rockets point guard.

I asked Ime Udoka what he has talked with Amen about and what improvements he wants to see from him on the offensive end of the court.

“Point… pic.twitter.com/ZdsbhqUSHx
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) December 9, 2025

That not to say Thompson is the only option as the Rockets playmaker or facilitator. A lot of the offense runs through Kevin Durant and especially Alperen Sengun. Sengun is the Rocket leader in assist and is running the offense more than ever this season.

Thompson, however, is having a career year in assists at 5.1 a game and is getting better each game. He has also struggled at times this season, as his turnovers have increased, and a perfect example of that was in the Rockets' last game, a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. In that game, Thompson had a game-high six turnovers as the Rockets struggled to get anything going without Sengun in the lineup.

Thompson has also shown the ability to break down defenses and get his teammates easy baskets, as he did in a game against the Brooklyn Nets, when he had eight assists and zero turnovers. When Thompson is going downhill and putting pressure on retreating defenses, he makes the game easy for the entire team.

Even with the ups and downs, Thompson is getting better as the season goes on. As Udoka mentioned, Thompson is still learning on the fly and is getting better game by game. Thompson has all the talent to become one of the best players in the NBA with his elite athleticism, toughness, and basketball IQ. Once Thompson puts that all together as a point guard, he will become an unstoppable force and the Rockets' unquestioned floor leader.