Amen Thompson can prove the Rockets right in the sweetest way possible

The Rockets proved their faith in their young core by extending Amen Thompson on Thursday for 5 years and $208 million. His new deal has become an instant lightning rod for debate, but Thompson can quickly make it look like a bargain with realistic improvements. If Thompson can return to his defensive peak and add scoring aggression, he can outperform even the hefty extension.

Amen Thompson could be worth every penny and more

Last season, Thompson was put in a tough position as Houston’s primary ball handler. He’s not a natural point guard, but adapted to the role well nonetheless. Thanks to his versatility, the Rockets still had a successful regular season in Kevin Durant’s first year with the team despite glaring injuries.

Thompson was one of the biggest drivers of Houston's success with his play on both ends, but his contract extension is still scary enough to raise some eyebrows. When the Rockets are paying him out over $40 million per season, they won't be able to afford keeping their entire current roster together. Thompson has to take further strides by then to fill in the gaps of other players who get pushed out by his contract.

Those strides are most important on the offensive end, where Thompson has clear room for improvement. Last season, he averaged career highs with 18 points and 5 assists per game. Remarkably, he made the third most shots at the rim despite being a guard; the rest of the top 10 are full of big men. Thompson needs to continue growing his scoring package with more counters such as a reliable midrange jumper and improved handles to attack the rim, if he wants to exceed his contract extension.

The Rockets can help Thompson produce more value

Offensively, Thompson is clearly limited in a full-time point guard role. He's not ready yet to be a floor general whenever he touches the court, so the Rockets need to make sure he has a veteran to fill that role before he's ready for it. Next season, they will have Fred VanVleet returning from injury and new addition Marcus Smart to take the reins.

But Houston also needs better long-term solutions. VanVleet will be a free agent in the summer of 2027 and is a prime candidate to leave as the Rockets commit more money to their young core. The Rockets don't currently have any proven point guards on the roster under the age of 30, but hopefully they'll be able to find one before VanVleet's time in Houston is done.

As Thompson spends less time on the ball offensively, he should also have more energy and bandwidth to exert defensively. Two seasons ago, he made the First Team All-Defense and was a contender for Defensive Player of the Year. It's not unrealistic for him to return to those heights if he's in the right offensive role and the Rockets give him solid defenders as teammates. If Houston makes the right moves, Thompson could be a perennial All-Defense force that also averages over 20 points per game, more than worth his next contract.

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