Rockets' Amen Thompson problem just got so much worse

The first game of season three for Amen Thompson with the Houston Rockets as the starting point guard had its ups and downs (with a lot to be excited about!), but it didn't end the way he, nor the fans, wanted. He exited the game during the first overtime after grabbing his calf and didn't return. The Rockets lost in double overtime, 125-124.

On Wednesday, Ime Udoka said that Thompson tried to play through the cramping, but couldn't do it. He said that playing those "extra minutes" caught up to Thompson in the first game of the season. It's understandable why the Rockets didn't want to push him too much, but Houston missed him on both ends of the floor in the final seven-plus minutes of the game.

The Rockets were already climbing an uphill battle without Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL last month. Thompson, who is six-foot-seven, is now Houston's lead facilitator with FVV sidelined, a role that he is trying to grow into, but it's one that Reed Sheppard certainly wasn't prepared for when Thompson left the game.

Rockets can't afford for Amen Thompson to get hurt

Sheppard, who averaged 12.6 minutes in 52 games as a rookie, struggled on both ends of the floor. It was a tough first test for Sheppard in the first game of his sophomore season, as the Thunder have the best defense in the league. Oklahoma City's pressure was too much for him, and on the defensive end, the Thunder specifically targeted him every possession, making it a rough night.

Luckily, Thompson's calf injury wasn't serious, as Udoka said on Wednesday that the guard is "fine." He'll be in the starting lineup on Friday against the Pistons in Houston's home-opener, so Sheppard won't have to take on a responsibility that he isn't ready for. Rockets fans quickly learned that relying on Sheppard as the primary creator, even after a strong preseason, won't work.

Thompson did well during the preseason, too, but he's operating on a learning curve of his own as the primary creator, a role he didn't know he'd be in less than two months ago. All things considered, he did well in his first game. He's been tabbed as a breakout candidate, and if he can start knocking down threes here and there (he shot 0-of-7 from three on Tuesday), he could do just that.

Let's just hope that there are no more injury scares.