The qualitative change in the second year, is the key point of the Rockets improvement?

In the 2023-24 season, Amen Thompson averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks, and was selected as the second team of the All-Rookie Rookie. This season, the young player has made another progress, averaging 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. For most Rockets fans, Amen Thompson's improvement is not surprising.

Relying on top athleticism, high-level defense and excellent game reading, 22-year-old Amen Thompson has become an indispensable key role for the Rockets, and these advantages have the opportunity to continue to consolidate in the offseason. After being eliminated by the lower-blade in the first round, it is time for us to explore the changes this young player brings to the Rockets in the subsequent season.

As a 201 cm tall forward and guard swinger, he has excellent speed and mobility, coupled with a vertical bounce height of more than 1 meter, he can not only fight at the basket, but also have the explosive power of scoring arrows when changing offense and defense. In reference to the two seasons he entered the league, 50% of his shots were in the basket, and even as high as 59% of his shots came from conversion attacks.

At the beginning of the rookie season, Amen Thompson has proved himself that he can hit the penalty area as he wants, whether it is a ball-breaker, a conversion attack, or an aerial contact without a ball, etc. If the efficiency and athletic ability can be further improved in the new season, coupled with the increase in game experience, and polishing the game execution skills, it will inevitably be a more terrifying existence for the opponent.

At present, Amen Thompson's basket offense and scoring efficiency are his major advantages, but his offensive weapons still have a lot of room for growth. This season, it doesn't seem like a lot of assists per game, but the data is not the point. What's important is that he can occasionally show excellent performance as a ball-holding organization point and rely on the ball maker to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. This part is even more critical than his scoring data improvement.

However, when he moves quickly or needs instant decisions, his ball-holding ability will begin to be unstable, even directly leading to mistakes. If the subsequent team can develop projection value, then Amen Thompson's organizational breakthrough potential will likely continue to shine.

In addition to the ball-holding organization, Amen Thompson's biggest problem lies in the flaw known before the draft: shooting ability.

In the 2023-24 season, Amen Thompson had only 13.8% three-point shooting percentage, and his three-point shooting percentage this season was only 27.5%. This is definitely an ineligible data. Basically, as long as he leaves the basket, his shots will be hard to believe.

Judging from the current shooting situation, Amen Thompson is basically at the bottom. Although it is impossible to expect him to become a top scorer during the rookie contract period, it is still worth looking forward to the progress between seasons. As a typical training madman, from high school to the NBA, he has a high standard of professional attitude. If he clearly expresses that he wants to improve his shooting level, he still has a great chance to correct it.

And referring to the skill packages currently available by Amen Thompson, as long as he can increase any simple shooting ability, whether it is mid-range or bottom corner three-pointers, he can increase his offensive firepower to a whole new level.

Compared with offense, Amen Thompson's defensive ability is the best advantage. Even from some perspectives, this young player's personal defensive ability is already in the first half of the league, especially after the test of the playoffs, we must not deny his value on the team's defensive end.

After Tari Ethan's season reimbursement, Amen Thompson immediately topped the vacant and became the team's main defender, often responsible for dealing with the opponent's main defender wing group. Looking at the value of the defensive end alone, Amen Thompson is just a little conservative with outstanding performance. He can use almost any defensive means to interfere with the opponent's offense. Coupled with his excellent wingspan conditions, this season has also contributed many classic moments of defensive blocks.

Defense from No. 1 to No. 4, effectively disrupting the opponent's attack at any time. This will inevitably be the biggest advantage that the Rockets want to make stable use in the future.

As Amen Thompson's second season officially ended, his defensive awareness has also improved with his game experience. His value is beginning to appear in terms of predicting opponents' passes, destroying opponents' conversion attacks, defending opponents' aces alone, etc. Overall, no matter how it develops in the future, Amen Thompson will be an excellent defender, and after being selected for the best defensive team this season, his next goal is the best defensive player.

The next 2025-26 season will be a new beginning worth looking forward to for Amen Thompson and the Rockets. In the first two seasons of his career, Amen Thompson has shown an unexpected level, and based on his training intensity and game attitude, he has a very good chance to show greater progress in the third season of his career.

Of course, this does not mean that Amen Thompson will definitely be a superstar player, but if he can experience several leaps and growth, initial talent and acquired efforts, I believe that he can at least become a star-level player, which is the core type that can directly influence the game by relying on defensive value.