Rockets must make a dramatic Amen Thompson adjustment in order to save their season

The Houston Rockets are off to a rough start at 0-2. They may be able to improve their record by increasing Alperen Sengun's usage - at Amen Thompson's expense.

Thompson's NBA journey has been interesting. He was billed as a 6'7" point guard with outlier athleticism coming into the league. Has that held true?

Well...

Thompson is 6'7". He is perhaps the most impressive athlete in league history. The jury is still out on whether he's a point guard.

If nothing else, we can all agree that he's not a conventional one.

Rockets can continue to play Thompson at the 1

Thompson must remain in Houston's starting lineup. Yes, he's been dreadfully disappointing through two games. That's fine. We know Thompson is among the best wing defenders in the NBA.

We do not know whether he's a high-usage ball-handler. This is not a developmental year for the Rockets, so they ought to stick with what works.

Thompson's 21.1% Usage Rate is fourth on the team. Even then, Reed Sheppard's 21.7% mark is misleading - he pilots the second unit. Thompson is third among starters.

He could stay there, but the number ought to come down a notch. The Rockets should retool their offense by decreasing Thompson's usage and giving it to Alperen Sengun.

Rockets must lean into unique point-center advantage

Sengun already comfortably leads the team in usage at 27.8%. That still only ranks 37th league-wide. That's also a noisy stat - Yanic Konan Niederhauser ranks ahead of him.

If you've heard of him, congratulate yourself on being a serious basketball fan.

Let's look at some players who are (actually) ahead of Sengun. Brandon Ingram (29.0%), Shaedon Sharpe (29.9%), and Josh Giddey (30.5%) all have more usage than Sengun. With that context, everyone should agree that Sengun needs the ball more.

Where does that leave Thompson?

Rockets' Amen Thompson needs to find his role

Let's say the Rockets shaved 2% off of Thompson's current usage and gave it to Sengun. Thompson's new 19.1% Usage Rate would still be a career high.

Giving him more on-ball reps seems prudent for his long-term development, but he hasn't looked ready in the early stages of the 2025-26 season. The Rockets need to walk a fine line. Thompson's development is crucial, but the goal heading into this season was to win as much as possible.

Besides, Thompson doesn't need to be a point guard to be an NBA star. If he's a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate who moonlights as a secondary playmaker, he'll make All-NBA appearances. Thompson is going to be fine, but Sengun needs a bit of his 2025-26 usage:

It could save them from this rough start.