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HOUSTON — With Amen Thompson, it can happen at any moment.
He’s always finding ways to put his imprint on a game with his astonishing athleticism or stifling defense. But it’s not always easy to anticipate when it’s coming.
Thompson’s not a guy who needs to have the ball in his hands to put fear in defenses. Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka rarely runs plays to make his point guard the center of attention. Yet, what Thompson brings to this Rockets squad, which improved to 14-5 after a 121-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, has become invaluable.
If Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün are the All-Stars who raise the ceiling enough to make Houston a title contender, Thompson is the key factor who raises the floor enough to ensure this group rarely strays from its core principles.
Even though the final score says otherwise, the Rockets weren’t playing up to their usual standard for a large chunk of Wednesday night. Their energy was low, the defense was dragging, and the Kings took advantage as they went into halftime with a 52-51 lead.
Then, Thompson did what he does best: He changed the game with his energy and pace.
It started when the Rockets were down 63-59 midway through the third quarter. After a Kings miss, Thompson snatched the rebound and raced up the floor while everyone else seemed to be stuck in neutral. He swung a pass to Durant, who drove to the basket and tossed it back to Thompson, as the 22-year-old gently threw down a two-hand dunk.
On the following play, Thompson dove on the floor for a loose ball and ignited another fast break. This time, he tossed the ball to Durant, and the 15-time All-Star calmly worked his way up the floor and finished another layup.
Those two plays ignited a 19-3 run for the Rockets that put them ahead by double digits — and they never looked back.
For many teams, the lackadaisical effort in the first half may have dragged them down and led to a slugfest in the fourth quarter against an inferior team, maybe even a loss. However, Thompson has a unique ability to ignite his team and get Houston back into the mindset that has driven its success over the last two seasons.
His willingness to make those plays that often go unnoticed is part of what makes him such a great player.
“When he can get it off the glass and push and make those spectacular plays above the rim, especially at home, the crowd feeds off it. We feed off it,” Durant said. “That’s a huge responsibility to be the energy provider and always be on point. Those plays when he can push in transition, grab a rebound, finish, catch a lob (or) block a shot, those things add to our group.”
Thompson finished Wednesday’s win with 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. But his impact is rarely portrayed in the numbers he puts in the box score.
It’s the effect he has on the game with his speed and aggression.
While the Rockets are very effective when they play a methodical style on offense and lean into the gravity Durant and Şengün have on the floor, Thompson brings the change of pace that keeps opposing defenses on their toes. It also gives his team opportunities to create easy shots without constantly relying on its two best scorers.
When Thompson’s energy is up, it pushes everyone around him to match what he brings.
“He’s a one-man fast break. He plays a little bit different than the rest of the guys, and sometimes they have to keep up, but he puts so much pressure on the rim and attracts so much attention in a different way that (he creates) a lot of opportunities for kickouts or offensive rebounds,” Udoka said. “It’s very important what he does. We love him to rebound and push and give us that added dimension.”
As Thompson gains more experience and understanding of his game during his third season as a pro, he’s developing a clearer sense of how he impacts games and how to apply his energy in ways his team needs.
Wednesday night, Thompson said he wanted to shift his focus to attacking the defensive boards so he could ignite some of the transition plays that turned the game around in the third quarter. He’s such a gifted athlete that he’s capable of impacting the game with his rebounding or his scoring in transition or his one-on-one defense or his telepathic feel with Şengün to play in the dunker spot when teams are double-teaming the Rockets’ All-Star center.
One area where he’s showing even more improvement is knowing when to rely on his athleticism and when to use it as a threat to create for others.
This often comes out when he has a chance to attack a defender in transition. Though he’s one of the best in the league at leaving guys in the dust when he has them on an island, he has Durant on his team now.
And much like the rest of his teammates, Thompson is always looking for opportunities to create those easy buckets for one of the top scorers in NBA history. They know that any time Durant can see a couple of easy ones go through the basket, it could lead to him catching fire.
As Thompson continues to grow as a player and learn what separates him from others, one sign that his mind is catching up with some of the phenomenal athletic feats he can pull off is his knowing when to create those open looks for others.
It’s part of being a great point guard in this league, which is Thompson’s ultimate goal. But more than anything, the difference between good players and great players is their ability to lift those around them. Thompson is getting to the stage in his career where that big-picture approach is how he attacks the game daily.
“He’s handling the ball more now. He understands the game better every day. He sees the court better,” Şengün said. “Since the first day he came here, we all saw the vision he has and the passing ability. He’s just putting in the work like the rest of us do to get better. He’s a winning player. … He’s an amazing player.”
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Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he’s been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. He is a New Orleans native. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory
