Amen Thompson's most underrated skill could save Rockets' season

As the Houston Rockets were entering the 2025-26 NBA season, it quickly became clear that some re-shuffling of the rotation would be necessary given their offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, and it appeared likely that young wing Amen Thompson would need to slide into the backcourt in order to accommodate the superstar scorer.

Yet, with the news that Fred VanVleet could miss the season with an ACL injury, it is now the most likely scenario that Thompson takes on starting point guard responsibilities: an opportunity that could give him the chance to highlight an emerging aspect of his game.

Thompson, despite his highlight dunks and defensive plays, is also a capable playmaker with excellent court vision, and, if he can replace even part of what VanVleet represented to the offense, it will go a long way toward keeping Houston afloat.

Amen Thompson's hidden playmaking abilities could be the Rockets' salvation

Coming out of the G-League Ignite program, Thompson, along with his twin brother Ausar, was already seen as an electrifying young prospect, and he proved this fact during his rookie season. Yet, in his second year, he took a massive leap forward, being launched into consideration for Defensive Player of the Year and averaging 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

As a dynamic cutter and finisher at the rim, Thompson's role on offense largely revolved around his ability to play off of the passing of VanVleet and Alperen Sengun. However, that is not all his game has to offer.

Through his two seasons in the NBA, he has quietly averaged 4.3 assists per 36 minutes: a solid number for a player whose primary duties did not rest in handling the ball. For context, VanVleet averaged 5.7 assists per 36 minutes last season.

The Rockets, therefore, will need to desperately hope that Thompson's court vision and ball-handling abilities can translate to a larger workload as he moves to the point guard spot for the time being.

In fairness, Thompson will not be asked to take on the whole burden of facilitation for this offense. Sengun, who averaged 5.6 assists per 36 minutes last season, is also capable of being an offensive hub from the interior, and it is likely that Houston will also lean on him heavily in VanVleet's absence.

Yet, an offense cannot function without a capable point guard, and, if this aspect of Thompson's game can continue to progress, it could go a long way toward mitigating the disaster that is the loss of VanVleet.