Crucial Amen Thompson improvement will be on fully display this season

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 NBA season, the entire roster knows it will need to conform around both the addition of superstar scorer Kevin Durant and the absence of veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, leaving many players in positions to reveal previously hidden aspects of their games.

Therefore, Amen Thompson, who revealed himself as one of the most electrifying defensive players in the league last season, stands poised to perhaps to build on the 3-point shooting momentum he gained last year, and, in his recent Media Day comments, he has confirmed that he is feeling more and more confident in his shot as we approach training camp.

While Thompson's game primarily involves getting downhill and getting to the rim, adding a viable perimeter shot to his game would make this even more dangerous, forcing defenders to hesitate more on closeouts, and could be one of the many steps Thompson takes this season toward becoming a bona-fide star.

Amen Thompson is feeling more and more confident in his 3-point shot

As the Rockets open the season without VanVleet, Thompson is already in for a massive role change. Barring a surprising breakout in training camp from second-year guard Reed Sheppard, Thompson will take over starting point guard duties for the team, necessitating that he lean more heavily on his playmaking skills than he likely ever has before in his life.

This also means, moreover, that the team will become increasingly dependent on him to perform offensively, and his growing confidence in his perimeter shot could be a huge asset if it proves to be well-placed: "I feel like I'm very confident in my shot right now... [I'll take] not just corner, but threes from around the court... I'm never going to get addicted to the three, but I feel like I'm confident in what I've been working on."

Thompson has already taken relatively massive strides in his perimeter game in just two seasons in the league, jumping from an abysmal 13.8% from beyond the arc in his rookie season to 27.5% in his sophomore campaign.

However, there are more obscure indicators that Thompson might be ready to take a leap in this facet of his game. In the first quarter last season, he shot a whopping 36.4% on 3-pointers, with a steady drop-off throughout the rest of the game.

This is likely a result of the heavy defensive role he took on and the resultant fatigue as games wore on, but, now, as he appears set to take on a lesser defensive role this season, we could see some of his offensive capabilities shine with the renewed energy this should bring.

Therefore, while Thompson will likely never be an elite 3-point shooter, his growing confidence in his own shot indicates promise for his ability to develop just enough to make his downhill game even more dangerous.