Amen Thompson is heading into his second season in the NBA. The 21-year-old had a good rookie season run with the Rockets. However, he faced some hurdles due to a grade 2 ankle sprain on his left ankle. Despite the injury, Amen made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
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Thompson has bigger goals in mind for his 2nd season. As per Locked On Rockets, he recently talked about the players he watches the most. He named Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jimmy Butler on the list of players he looks up to because he sees a lot of similarities in their style of play.
At such a young age and with the amount of talent that he has, watching film can be extremely beneficial for Thompson. The Rockets star understands that, which is why he chose the three above-mentioned players. Thompson has a lot of scope for growth and learning the ropes from these stars might help him in the process.
He said, “I watched a couple of players. A lot of Shai, Ja Morant, some Jimmy Butler stuff. So just players I see similarities in my game with, those are people I really watched.”
Thompson came into the league with a lot of hype and was drafted by the Rockets as their fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He played 62 games in his rookie year. Thompson averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 53.6% from the field.
As for the similarities between his game and the names that he mentioned, there are some things to unpack. His skill set is definitely aligned with all three of them. The biggest asset that Thompson has is his physicality. He is extremely quick on his feet at 6ft 7″ and 200 lbs.
Thompson is incredible on the defense with his steals, rebounds, and deflections. He is also considered to be a great passer of the ball with either hand and can also help generate open looks for his teammates. These are primary qualities that are a must-have for any athlete who aspires to be great. All these elements can also be found in the three players that he named.
They showcase these skills at the highest level. The difference is that they do it at a much higher level as compared to Thompson at this age. Needless to say, he can learn a lot from them. The Rockets have packed in a great pool of young and talented athletes, setting up a strong foundation for the franchise in years to come.
However, Thompson has a better chance to make his mark on the team. He has the opportunity to be a supercharged version of Mikal Bridges who is known as a versatile player. Bridges is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and also boasts incredible shooting accuracy from different levels of the floor.
