Rockets at a tipping point no NBA team wants to be in with Amen Thompson

The Houston Rockets, so far this season, have found immense success utilizing third-year defensive phenom Amen Thompson at point guard, having ascended to a 15-16 record and the third seed in the Western Conference following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in NBA Cup play on Wednesday night.

Yet, as the season goes on, it has become clear that the team will need to figure out how best to maximize Thompson's skill-set. While he has taken strides as a ball-handler and a playmaker, his game on both ends of the court is likely optimized when he is off-ball more often.

The Rockets, certainly, would not like to be in the position of making such a weighty decision about one of their most promising young players so soon into his career. Nevertheless, given the lofty expectations they have for themselves this season with Kevin Durant on the roster, nothing can be taken lightly.

The Rockets need to choose a path for Amen Thompson's development

Through his first two seasons in the NBA, Thompson emerged as one of the most dynamic young defenders in the league, combining that skill-set with his uncanny ability to drive to the rim and also capitalize on any offensive leverage he gains from the dunker spot.

Yet, two major questions remained in his game before this season. Can he be a reliable play-maker, and can he create (and make) his own shots?

So far this season, his 5.1 assists to 2.7 turnovers per game would indicate that he has taken strides in the right direction in the former category. Although he is still liable to make some frustrating mistakes, he has also flashed an ability to be a reliable passer on a game-to-game basis.

The latter category, however, is a different story. While Thompson is shooting a solid 72.5% on his attempts at the rim, he is shooting just 33.3% from any other area of the court. He's having the best scoring season of his career, but it's slowly becoming clear that, as of now, asking him to take the ball into his hands and score is a recipe for offensive stagnancy.

Instead, Thompson is best, both offensively and defensively, when he is enabled to play off-ball. On offense, he is able to capitalize off of the gravity that both Durant and Alperen Sengun possess, cutting to the rim and making jaw-dropping plays when he is not the primary ball-handler.

His defensive box plus-minus, moreover, has taken a large hit since he shifted into an on-ball role, dropping from an astounding 2.6 in 2024-25 to just 0.5 this season.

The Rockets have made clear that they want to be patient with Thompson and Reed Sheppard before making any hasty decisions, and that's likely the correct course of action. Yet, if this team is better-poised to compete for a championship when Thompson is in an off-ball role, how long should they wait?

It's a point no one wants to be at with a third-year player as special as Thompson, but there will come a point when Houston has no choice but to decide what path they want to tread with his development.