Tag: Amen Thompson

Rockets announce full roster for NBA’s 2023 summer league

Headlined by top rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, the #Rockets released their complete roster for the NBA’s 2023 summer league in Las Vegas. Their first game is Friday, July 7.

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With newly named assistant Ben Sullivan serving as the head coach, the Houston Rockets announced on Monday their roster for the NBA’s upcoming summer league in Las Vegas.

Players on Houston’s roster with NBA ties are second-year forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason; two-way players Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins, who were under contract with the Rockets in 2022-23; and a pair of recently drafted first-round rookies, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. With 17 players, the complete summer roster can be viewed below.

Officially titled NBA 2K24 Summer League 2023, all games will be played from July 7-17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

All 30 teams will play at least five games each (Rockets schedule). Each team plays four games from July 7-14. After each team plays four games, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs and participate in the semifinals on July 16. The two winning teams from the semifinals will meet in the championship game on July 17.

The fifth and final game (along with opponent) for the remaining 26 teams will be announced at the conclusion of play on July 14.

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Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore sign rookie contracts with Rockets

Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore are officially under contract with the #Rockets for up to four years after signing their rookie deals on Monday.

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Newly drafted first-round rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore  signed their initial NBA contracts with the Houston Rockets on Monday, according to the league’s transaction wire.

The deals were largely a formality, and they weren’t required to be completed prior to participating in 2023 summer league play, which begins for the Rockets on Thursday in Las Vegas. However, in the event of any potential injury, the added peace of mind can’t hurt.

The signings also mean both players cannot be traded for 30 days, though obviously that wasn’t expected in the first place.

Based on slot value and maximum annual raises, which is the norm for most rookie contracts around the league, Thompson is expected to make approximately $8.8 million, $9.2 million, $9.7 million and $12.3 million in the 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, respectively. The last two years are team options.

Meanwhile, Whitmore is slated to make $3.2 million, $3.3 million, $3.5 million and $5.4 million over the next four years, respectively. Both Thompson and Whitmore’s deals are based on their draft slots at No. 4 and No. 20, respectively, in the 2023 first round.

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Projected starting lineup for Rockets with Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks after free agency

Fred VanVleet is the first undrafted free agent to earn a contract worth more than $100 million. 

The Houston Rockets reportedly handed out the first max contract of free agency, per ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, signing veteran guard Fred VanVleet.

The former undrafted free agent will leave the Raptors for a contract worth $130 million over three years, according to reports. VanVleet will bring an impressive resume as an NBA champion to a young core that includes rising stars like Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and Alperen Sengun.

VanVleet, who was named an NBA All-Star in 2022, became the first undrafted free agent to earn a contract worth more than $100 million.

Here is the remainder of the projected starting lineup for Houston next year:

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How Troy Thompson Sr. helped guide his twin sons, Amen and Ausar, to NBA

For Amen and Ausar Thompson, becoming top-five NBA draft picks was the culmination of a multi-year journey. Their father, Troy Thompson Sr., spoke to @BigSargeSportz about their development.

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HOUSTON — Troy Thompson Sr. looked at the progress his twin sons, Amen and Ausar, had made on the basketball court during their middle school years. He knew their visions of playing in the NBA were on the right trajectory to become a reality.

Without hesitation, Thompson moved the family across the country — from San Leandro, California, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida — so his sons would not have to wait until their freshman year of high school to play varsity basketball.

When they arrived at Pine Crest School, the head coach knew he had something special. Three years later, in their junior seasons, the Thompson twins helped deliver a state championship while being named Broward County co-players of the year for their class.

Many projected Pine Crest to repeat with the twins returning for their senior season. But just as he had done when it was time to take his sons’ talent to the next level by moving them from California to Florida, Thompson took an alternate route.

In 2021, they joined the newly formed Overtime Elite (OTE) professional league. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the league is designed to help basketball players with elite talent work on getting their high school diplomas while enhancing their NBA profiles.

Amen and Ausar were initially unhappy with the idea of going to OTE, which was in its inaugural phase. But just as they had been hesitant to make the cross-country journey, they believed in their dad and knew he had their best interests at heart.

“Me and Coach knew it was going to be a couple of years before they were ready,” Thompson told RocketsWire. “In the 11th grade, when they won state (championship), there was nothing else to achieve at that level. So, we went into looking into some of the prep schools, and Overtime Elite was a new concept.”

“They talked about development. They had access to the gym all day, a state-of-the-art weight room, and all these good coaches who had already been to the NBA. We were going to be one-and-done (college) anyway. The goal was one-and-done, not four years to get to the league. This (Overtime Elite) gave us a built-in one-and-done.”

After helping the City Reapers win the OTE championship in their second season there, Amen was selected by the Rockets with the No. 4 overall selection in the 2023 NBA draft. His brother, Ausar, was taken with the fifth pick by the Detroit Pistons.

“You work at something for a very long time, and finally, it culminates into exactly what you wanted,” Thompson said after watching his sons finally reach the NBA “It’s great to see your kids achieve their dreams, and that is what we saw on draft night.”

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Rockets rookie Amen Thompson finds strength, role model in older brother Troy Thompson Jr.

“He is the blueprint and role model, for me,” Amen Thompson says of his older brother. “Growing up in Oakland, my family tried to keep me away from certain things, and he was a big part of that.”

HOUSTON — As Amen Thompson walked into Toyota Center for his introductory press conference, he was led by his family. The group consisted of his parents, Maya and Troy Thompson Sr.; his identical twin brother, Ausar, who was drafted one spot after Amen by the Detroit Pistons; and older brother Troy Thompson Jr., one of his biggest inspirations to play basketball.

Laying the foundation for the siblings’ hard work and dedication, Troy, who is eight years older than his younger brothers, was a very skilled high school player. After taking off a year after graduation, he chose to stay close to home and attended City College of San Francisco in 2014. He made the team as a walk-on and received 11 offers to play Division I basketball during his time there.

Halfway through his first year, he wrote down his goals. One of them was to continue his playing days and education at an historically black college or university (HBCU).

Thompson Jr.’s first choice was Howard University. Instead, he selected Prairie View A&M University, which is located 47 miles outside of Houston, to finish his final two years of eligibility from 2016 through 2018.

“I wrote down that I wanted to get 10 Division I offers, and at least one of them be an HBCU,” Thompson Jr. said. “I have family members that went to Prairie View, and it has a little nostalgic vibe with (his parents). I didn’t know a lot about PV until I got there. It was so welcoming, and it was a great experience for me. It helped me become a man. It was a good experience.”

Sharing those experiences with his younger siblings was one of the things that kept them motivated to continue following their dreams of making it into the NBA. Thompson Jr. tried out for Sacramento’s NBA G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, in 2019, but he was not selected for the roster after the final cuts.

“Growing up, I didn’t even know that I was the influence I was,” Thompson Jr. said of being an inspiration to his brothers.

Yet, he was instrumental in the futures of Amen and Ausar, who decided to skip college and play two years at Overtime Elite, where they could strictly focus on basketball. The decision paid off. Amen Thompson was selected by the Houston Rockets with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, and Ausar was taken with the fifth pick of the draft.

“He is the blueprint and the role model for me,” Amen said of his older brother. “Growing up in Oakland, my family tried to keep me away from certain things, and he was a big part of that because he went through that stuff. Seeing where he was able to get in basketball made me believe that I could do anything.”

 

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‘Nothing is handed out’: Ime Udoka vows to make Rockets earn playing time

“Nothing is handed out anymore,” new #Rockets coach Ime Udoka says of Houston’s phase-two approach to its rebuild. “Some guys will play different roles than they have been.”

In what was internally viewed as Phase 1 of Houston’s rebuild under former head coach Stephen Silas, top rookies Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. averaged more than 30 minutes per game in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 season — even when both clearly struggled.

Entering 2023-24, as the Rockets enter Phase 2 of the rebuild under new head coach Ime Udoka, it sounds as if the standard will be very different. (The addition of several veterans from Houston’s massive salary cap room entering free agency may also be a factor.)

Whatever the case, Udoka made it clear at Monday’s introductory press conference for newly drafted rookies Amen Thompson (No. 4 of the NBA’s 2023 first round) and Cam Whitmore (No. 20) that they would have to earn playing time. Furthermore, the same goes for the rest of Houston’s developing roster.

Here’s what Udoka said Monday at Toyota Center:

A lot of the (playing) time and positions, those things have been given, so to speak, with the young guys. There’ll be changes now in Phase 2. We are adding some more young pieces but also adding some veterans. So I think this will kind of raise the level of competition. Nothing is handed out anymore.

Myself and the new staff coming in, we’ve kind of stressed that to the guys. For us, it’s just adding the right pieces, raising the whole level of the organization. I think veterans will help, but we love the young, talented guys, and it’s a balance. Some guys will play different roles than they have been.

But I think we have high-character guys that are all used to winning and trying to get on that level. And so they’ll do what they have to do to sacrifice for the team, but it is Phase 2, and we’re looking forward to taking a big step.

Additional information and tidbits on Udoka, along with full video of the press conference in its entirety, is available below.

Rafael Stone on Rockets rookie Amen Thompson: ‘When you see something special, you know it’

“When you see something special, you know it’s special,” #Rockets general manager Rafael Stone says of Amen Thompson. “What Amen can do, to me, jumps out.”

The final week of June is a busy one for Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, who will have approximately $60 million and more available to potentially spend in 2023 free agency. Agreements can officially be reached starting at 5 p.m. Central on Friday, June 30.

But for now, he’s happy to reflect on what is being viewed around the NBA as an extremely successful draft night for the Rockets. Houston added guard Amen Thompson (the No. 4 pick in the first round) and Cam Whitmore (No. 20) to its emerging core of young talent.

“When you see something special, you know it’s special,” Stone said of Thompson. He was asked about the unproven nature of Thompson’s Overtime Elite professional basketball league, where he played in the 2022-23 season prior to declaring for the NBA.

“Part of the job is to evaluate these young men coming from so many different circumstances,” Stone said of Houston’s scouting process. “What Amen can do, to me, jumps out.”

Here’s a roundup of what Stone told reporters on Monday. With Thompson and Whitmore leading the way, Houston’s 2023 summer league roster begins play on Friday, July 7, in Las Vegas.

Even as rookie, Amen Thompson ready to make immediate contributions to Rockets

“Leadership, defense, intangibles, being a good locker-room guy… I can bring that to the team immediately,” #Rockets rookie Amen Thompson says of his mindset entering the season.

During Monday’s press conference from Houston’s NBA home of Toyota Center, newly drafted rookie Amen Thompson (No. 4 pick in the 2023 first round) offered perspective on joining the Rockets along with expectations for his rookie season of 2023-24 and beyond.

Thompson took the stage alongside head coach Ime Udoka, general manager Rafael Stone, and fellow rookie Cam Whitmore (the No. 20 pick). To say the last, Thompson seemed to be enjoying the scene.

“I can bring leadership, defense, intangibles, being a good locker room guy… these things I can bring to the team immediately,” said Thompson, who declared that he was exicted to be a Rocket.

Eventually, though, he has higher goals.

“Hopefully a lot of championships,” Thompson said when asked what he wants his NBA career to look like. “A winning player. Someone who will do anything for his team. Some MVPs [Most Valuable Player], some DPOYs [Defensive Player of the Year].”

Here’s a roundup of key takeaways that Thompson told reporters. With Whitmore and Thompson leading the way, Houston’s 2023 summer league roster begins play on Friday, July 7, in Las Vegas.

Amen Thompson’s Rockets, Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs to meet twice in NBA’s 2023 preseason

Top rookies Victor Wembanyama and Amen Thompson won’t meet in summer league, but they will face off in two October exhibitions between the #Rockets and Spurs.

Top rookies Victor Wembanyama and Amen Thompson likely will not meet in the NBA’s 2023 summer league (there is still one summer game for both the Rockets and Spurs that is unscheduled), but they will face off in a pair of 2023-24 preseason games in October.

Wembanyama, a highly touted French big man who was drafted by San Antonio at No. 1 in the first round, will face Houston’s No. 4 pick, Amen Thompson, on Oct. 16 and 18. Both Rockets-Spurs games are at San Antonio’s AT&T Center.

While both Texas rivals are rebuilding, the addition to each of a prized rookie from the 2023 draft class should add some juice to a rivalry that has lost some luster in recent years.

The preseason will also serve as the debut for Houston’s second first-round selection, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, who went at No. 20. Between Wembanyama, Thompson and Whitmore, the exhibitions should showcase 10% of the NBA’s 2023 first round.

The announcement was made as part of San Antonio’s preseason schedule release. Houston, for its part, is still finalizing its slate. The NBA will release its full 2023-24 regular-season schedule for all teams in August, complete with game times, dates and locations.

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Amen Thompson to wear No. 1 jersey, Cam Whitmore No. 7 for Rockets

With Jabari Smith Jr. switching to the No. 10 jersey, newly drafted #Rockets rookie Amen Thompson will take the vacated No. 1 uniform. Cam Whitmore will be No. 7.

When Jabari Smith Jr. recently announced plans to change to the No. 10 jersey, which he wore in college at Auburn, but was previously used by longtime Houston Rockets veteran Eric Gordon, the No. 1 jersey from Smith’s rookie season became vacant.

That jersey will be filled by Amen Thompson, Houston’s newly drafted rookie from the NBA’s 2023 first round. No. 1 is the jersey Thompson wore in the Overtime Elite league.

Beyond Smith last season, previous Rockets to wear the No. 1 jersey have included Buck Johnson (1987-92), Tracy McGrady (2005-09), Trevor Ariza (2010-18) and John Wall (2021).

Meanwhile, fellow 2023 first-round pick Cam Whitmore plans to wear the No. 7 jersey with the Rockets. Whitmore had worn No. 22 at Villanova, but that jersey is retired with the Rockets (Clyde Drexler).

Previous wearers of the No. 7 jersey have included Carl Herrera (1992-95), Kyle Lowry (2009-12), Jeremy Lin (2013-14), Carmelo Anthony (2019), and, most recently, Victor Oladipo (2021).

The team announced the news on its social media pages.

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