Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson enters his sophomore season with plenty of potential.
Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 62 appearances for the Rockets during his rookie season.
His performance last season prompted ESPN reporter Jeremy Woo to name him the second most interesting sophomore in the NBA for the upcoming season.
“Thompson’s potential is the highest on the Rockets’ roster, and Houston will likely want to give him the necessary reps on the ball to continue to realize that potential,” Woo writes“In turn, defenses will start to focus on him more, especially if he doesn’t improve his long-range shooting. He’s so quick and explosive that he can attack space when defenders collapse on him, but it’s still not optimal if he can be left alone late in games, or if defenses can comfortably load up on him to try to take his offense away. How Thompson handles a full season as a star player — one who probably has more say in the Rockets’ long-term fate than anyone else — could become something to watch if things continue to go as planned.”
If Thompson can identify and make the necessary adjustments for a second-year player, he will truly raise the Rockets’ ceiling and arguably become the most important piece of the team’s puzzle.
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