Amen Thompson learning alarming lesson that may force Rockets to act

As the Houston Rockets have settled into a 7-3 record on the season, their offense has joined their defense as one of the elite fronts in the league, and, as the team has attempted to acclimate to life without Fred VanVleet, it appears as though many players have become increasingly comfortable in their new roles.

One of these players has been Amen Thompson, who has, by all accounts, taken on his role as the starting point guard with an encouraging amount of poise and confidence, flashing his playmaking chops on a near-nightly basis. Yet, as he has taken on more of an on-ball role, his defense has lagged behind, and the Rockets may need to reckon with what they are sacrificing within Thompson's game.

Without a doubt, Thompson is one of the most dynamic and athletic defenders in the league, and he has remained effective this season even in his new role. Nevertheless, is this something the Rockets want to compromise on? Could this convince them to trade for a stopgap point guard when the time comes?

Amen Thompson has not been a star defender in his new role, and the Rockets will need to reckon with that fact

In many ways, Thompson has proved his critics wrong through his first ten games this season. Although many thought that he was not a capable enough passer to take on a point guard role for Houston, he has averaged 5.4 assists per 36 minutes while maintaining a respectable 1.96 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Yet, on the defensive side of the ball, Thompson has looked relatively limited compared to his breakout season a year ago that netted him both consideration for Defensive Player of the Year and his first not to the All-Defense Team.

He's averaging less steals and less blocks than he did last season, and his defensive box plus-minus has dropped from an astounding 2.6 to a woeful -0.5.

At the same time, the Rockets' defense as a whole has held relatively steady, as they currently sit at eighth in the NBA in defensive rating.

Yet, in giving Thompson not only more of an on-ball role on offense, but also a point-of-attack role on defense, they have lost a significant portion of the energy and versatility that made Thompson such an effective "free safety", help defender last season.

If the defense continues to lag behind the offense, even on a relative scale, the right move could be to free Thompson up to unleash his full defensive arsenal. While this would likely require a move for a point guard, given Reed Sheppard's slower development as a passer, it could be the only thing that could help this team reach their ceiling on both ends of the court.