NBA X is losing their minds over Rockets' Amen Thompson

Houston Rockets fans are excited.

They're excited about a lot of things. Alperen Sengun is flirting with All-Star status. Jalen Green is starting to find some consistency. More broadly, the Rockets are the second seed in the Western Conference. They have a surplus of assets and a plethora of talented young players.

Somehow, the buzz around Amen Thompson still feels different.

This is special. Thompson looks like a game-breaking force. There's no discernable limit on what he can become in the NBA.

The world is taking notice. These days, it's hard to log onto X without finding Thompson being described with glowing superlatives.

Rockets' Amen Thompson earning praise from all corners

Take a moment to appreciate the absolute beauty of this thread.

That's a host of pundits showering Thompson with praise. If you don't have time, don't worry: we'll post some of the best ones.

It's hard to argue, Mr. O'Connor. Thompson's blend of athletic gifts and intelligence do not seem worldly. He may be an exalted life form.

True, Sam - only, opponents aren't laughing. Otherwise, you're spot on. Thompson should be a strong candidate to earn an All-Defensive nod this year. He has a wide range of other infinitely useful skills as well.

This continues for a while. I won't go through every post - you'd be here all day. That's how many new fans Thompson has earned recently.

Has the praise been hyperbolic?

Rockets' Thompson deserves all the love

Not even remotely.

Thompson is averaging 17.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game as a starter this season. Those stats reflect the well-roundedness that has everyone gushing. Thompson is already an elite defender, and he's a strong offensive contributor as well. There's nothing he can't do on a basketball floor, but still, his defense has been his signature skill.

His Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) of 2.2 ranks second in the NBA. That undersells his impact on that end. No metric is perfect, and some players ahead of of Thompson in this area have some noise in their numbers. With all due respect to Nikola Jokic (3.4) and Goga Bitazde (2.9), they aren't better defenders than Thompson. He's likely more impactful than a handful of other, also strong defenders ahead of him as well.

It's inconsequential. The Rockets know what they have. Thompson is shining more brightly than anyone could have imagined. Rest assured that the organization is taking notice:

The rest of the world is as well.