The Houston Rockets would love it if Amen Thompson were able to space the floor. If his preseason performance was any indication, they may get their wish.
Granted, everyone should be wary of small sample sizes. Thompson hit 66.7% of his threes during preseason. Put differently, he took 6 and made 4.
Some will say that's completely meaningless. They may not be fun at parties, but they may have a point:
Although they'd be slightly exaggerating.
Rockets' Amen Thompson flashes shooting potential
With a player like Thompson, you take any shooting you get.
Shooting is never going to be his calling card. That's fine, because Thompson does so much else on a basketball floor. He's primed to be the best defensive wing in the NBA, and his passing vision is at times remarkable.
The bar for his three-point shooting is low. If Thompson could hit 33% of 3 attempts (or so) throughout a full season, he'd surely establish himself as a top-20 player in this league - or better.
A 4/6 mark over preseason is at least a positive indicator of that possibility. Stats are funny. Imagine if Thompson had shot 4/6 from deep in one game. Wouldn't everyone be excited?
Moreover, fans shouldn't only be tracking Thompson's three-point percentages. He also shot 91.7% from the free-throw line.
That's significant for a couple of reasons.
Rockets' Amen Thompson needs to hit his free throws
Firstly, and most importantly, hitting free throws is good.
Stop me if I'm getting too technical.
Thompson will live at the free throw line if he's ever a primary offensive option. His ability to get to the rim is his best offensive trait, and defenses will have to foul him to stop him from creating easy layup and dunk attempts. He won't shoot 91.7% over a season, but if he can hit 75% of his free throws or more, that would be optimal.
Yet, a free throw is not just a free throw. It's an indicator. There's typically a strong correlational relationship between good free-throw shooting and good overall shooting.
Even if he's never a primary, floor spacing would hugely benefit Thompson's game. If he's the league's best wing defender as well as a secondary playmaker who can hit open triples, Thompson can be an integral part of a title run.
He's a flawed shooter. His mechanics are stiff. The point here is that he's not completely hopeless either. Thompson is giving Rockets fans hope that he'll be a competent shooter as his career goes on.
The Rockets can't hope for much more than that.