Amen Thompson Rumors

Two factors proved decisive in the Rockets' change of direction. First was Udoka's strong advocacy for the move. Second was the surprisingly reasonable asking price. "Another thing was they also couldn't say no to the price. The price was just so low they just couldn't say no. It's meant to say look what they still have on their roster. So they now have optionality. They can say 'let's keep letting Amen Thompson develop. Let's keep letting Jabari Smith. By the way, they love Tari Eason there. He can be the guy that replaces Dillon Brooks as that key defender.

RealGM

The Rockets, however, have been unwilling to part with 22-year-old First Team All-Defensive selection Amen Thompson in trade talks, league sources told HoopsHype. It’s believed that Houston would also not want to part with 22-year-old All-Star Alperen Sengun in talks for Durant.

HoopsHype

Daniel Blake: BREAKING: @Houston Rockets All-Defensive First Team star Amen Thompson & Ausar Thompson of the @Detroit Pistons are open to represent 🇯🇲 in future FIBA competitions & possibly the Olympics. The twin brothers, whose father is Jamaican, have begun the citizenship process.

Twitter

Daniel Blake: CONFIRMED: Amen & Ausar Thompson say Jamaica is a legitimate option for their international future.

Twitter

Shams Charania: 2024-25 NBA All-Defensive teams: First team: Evan Mobley, Draymond Green, Dyson Daniels, Lu Dort, Amen Thompson Second team: Toumani Camara, Rudy Gobert, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Williams, Ivica Zubac

x.com

The Rockets have been firm that rising star Amen Thompson is off-limits in any potential trade discussions. As far as a big man goes, the Rockets are interested in re-signing Steven Adams after he performed well while his minutes were carefully managed during the regular season and was a major reason Houston extended its first-round series against the Warriors to seven games.

ESPN.com

Danielle Lerner: Rafael Stone: “We are not a team built around any one player offensively, whether it’s Jalen, Alperen or Amen.”

bsky.app

Houston might be as well positioned to go either of those routes as any team in the league outside of Oklahoma City. The Rockets are flush with draft capital and young talent. And there is particular enthusiasm coursing through Toyota Center that Amen Thompson, in particular, is a star in the homegrown making. For the record: The Rockets, sources say, believed that even before the Golden State series.

marcstein.substack.com

Jackson Gatlin: Rockets win 131-116 in Game 5, surviving a late push by Warriors reserves. Fred VanVleet led with 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25 and 8 stocks. Alperen Sengun (15/9/9/2 STL) flirted with a triple-double. Rockets defense had Steph and Jimmy (13 and 8 points) in hell.

x.com

But Plan B would be to cash in some of the assets that the Rockets patiently accumulated over the past five years to speed up the process via a blockbuster trade. Green is Houston's leading scorer and one of a handful of "bets," as Stone puts it, that the Rockets have on the board to grow into that All-NBA talent necessary to make a title run. Sengun, a skilled center, made his first All-Star appearance at age 22 this season. Amen Thompson, 22, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, has already established himself as a dominant defensive force and is just starting to scratch the surface of his offensive potential. Rockets decision-makers consider guard Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick who hasn't cracked a deep rotation on a consistent basis as a rookie, as perhaps the most gifted offensive talent on the roster.

ESPN

David Hardisty: This is ugly -- Amen Thompson falls forward and ends up undercutting Jimmy Butler pic.x.com/PsDujc8sSD

Twitter

All season, Udoka has spurred a crowded rotation of proud veterans and promising young players to overachieve. Alperen Sengun became an All-Star, Amen Thompson became a dark-horse Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and the Rockets became one of the most unpleasant hangs in the NBA. Tough, physical, and relentless, this team exudes confidence that it can beat anyone, anywhere, at any time—even a four-time champion. “I feel like we going to make a deep run into this,” Green tells me. “Our expectation is get to the Finals.”

The Ringer

The Rockets missed 53 of their 87 shots in Game 1 but rebounded 22 of them for 22 second-chance points, keeping them within striking distance despite going 6 of 29 on 3s and missing nine free throws. “It felt like 1997 out there to me,” Kerr said. “Completely different NBA game than what we’re used to, and we got to be ready for that. This is what this series is going to be.” It’s part of Houston’s identity. The Rockets were the best offensive rebounding team in the league and were particularly destructive (above 50 percent offensive rebound rate) with Şengün and Steven Adams on the floor together this season. Those two and Amen Thompson combined to get Houston 13 extra possessions. “I think we can play a lot better,” Green said. “That’s the encouraging part about it. I don’t think we played very well at all.”

New York Times

As a rookie, Thompson would often chafe at his head coach’s blistering critiques. “Sometimes he’ll look at you like he is crazy mad,” says Thompson. Lately, he’s learned to understand if not appreciate the feedback. “I hold him to a high standard because of the things he can do,” says Udoka, now in his second year in Houston. “I don’t want any bad habits. We know how good he can be.”

Sports Illustrated