Amen Thompson earned his first start on Sunday and registered a rare double-double for the short-handed Houston Rockets in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
Thompson produced a career-high 15 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and one steal in the 116-107 loss at the Toyota Center. He finished 10-of-18 from the field in 32 minutes for his second double-double of the season.
The fourth pick earned the start in place of Fred VanVleet, who is dealing with back tightness. He thrived in transition and had several dazzling passes by pressuring the rim to find the open man, though he wasn’t satisfied with the effort in a loss.
“(It was) a good performance, (but just) couldn’t get a win,” Thompson said afterward. “(I’m going to) take it one day at a time and move on to the next game against Portland.”
This pass by Amen Thompson is absolutely ridiculous. I can't stop watching this clip. pic.twitter.com/S0IMdP3WtS
— Itamar (@Itamar_17_10) January 22, 2024
Thompson logged over 30 minutes for the first time this season. He guarded Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White throughout the contest and did as well as one could expect against such established players.
Ime Udoka thought Thompson performed well in his first start, but as expected, there were some sequences the Rockets coach hopes will serve as learning moments for the 20-year-old.
He needs to continue to understand when to be aggressive (and) when to find guys. That balance there of him attacking all of the time, as well as how teams are guarding him, is us using him in different ways as a screener at times and initiating out of DHOs when the big is back, but at the same time, not settling for the shots they want him to take and taking the shots he wants to get: His mid-range pull-up and getting out in transition. When he does that, he is good. It is a learning curve and process for him. Until his shot improves, teams are going to guard him a certain (way) with lineups and matchups. We got to get better, but we have to put him in some positions to succeed.
Thompson is averaging 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, two assists and one steal on 45.5% shooting from the field, including 13.3% (4-of-30) from 3-point range. He has scored in double figures five times and is one of eight first-year players with multiple double-doubles.
He suffered an ankle injury earlier this season that cost him over a month of action, so Thompson is still working to find his way on the court. He has dazzled with his athleticism and ability in transition, and the team will look to continue to take advantage of those abilities.
Thompson still has plenty of room to grow as a player, having only played 23 games, but the early returns have certainly been encouraging for his potential to develop into a franchise cornerstone.
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