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Chris Mannix: I was preaching that Fred VanVleet is going to matter. Forget the numbers. Last couple of years he has not been a high-efficiency guy. He's still not a high-efficiency guy, but he is a steady, reliable guy out there. He's going to give you 30-ish minutes per game and be able to initiate the offense. And him being there, I've heard Kevin Durant talk about this, it allows everybody else to slot back into their usual positions. Amen Thompson doesn't need to be the point guard on this team. Reed Sheppard doesn't need to be the starting point guard on this team. Kevin Durant doesn't need to have the ball in his hands initiating some of the offense. It just allows everybody to be themselves.
Will Guillory: Final: Rockets 132, Bucks 100 VanVleet 24 pts (season-high), 6 rebs, 5 assts Thompson 23 pts (10-16 FG) Durant 18 pts (5-9 FG) Rockets improve to 5-0 to begin the season after another blowout win, despite missing Alpi, Smart and Steven Adams. Fred VanVleet had his best performance of the season after catching fire in the 3rd quarter. Clint Capela was really good off the bench. This team is extremely locked in right now.
Varun Shankar: Amen Thompson: “I wouldn’t try to keep ducking me in [posting up] but you know, if they want to they can.” “He kind of took it personal,” teammate Alperen Şengün said. Story from an extremely fun second game of the season.
Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson couldn't quite explain what happened after sealing a 114-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs by swatting away a last-gasp attempt at the rim by Victor Wembanyama. In the aftermath of the game-saving play, Rockets forward Kevin Durant scurried over in excitement to deliver Thompson a message Friday as the sellout crowd at Moody Center groaned in disbelief. "I said, 'What the f--- is wrong with him, thinking he was just going to lay it up so easily?'" Durant recalled. "I don't know," Thompson shot back.
Oh No He Didn' NBA Courtside: Kevin Durant on Amen Thompson game saving block on Wemby: "Wemby caught the ball and just thought he'd be tall man and just try to rise over top but twin is just a freak athlete... What a game saving block"
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Tom Orsborn: De'Aaron Fox on Amen Thompson blocking Wemby to seal the win for Houston: “Hell of a play, hell of a play…He's one of the best athletes that has probably ever graced the face of this earth. He made a hell of a play."
League sources continue to pinpoint Charlotte's Brandon Miller as the top contender to join a club that, to this point, features only Wallace, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, Utah's Keyonte George, Golden State's Brandin Podziemski and twins Amen Thompson (Houston) and Ausar Thompson (Detroit).
Miller is still projected by various league observers to ultimately come to terms with the Hornets on an extension that could exceed Amen Thompson's new five-year, $200 million deal with the Rockets. In conversations with front office executives around the NBA this week, there seemed to be a growing consensus among rival decision-makers that Miller's deal has the potential to be richer in a nod to his higher offensive ceiling.
Rafael Stone on Amen Thompson: "I think he's a very, very good basketball player. Since about halfway through his rookie year, we've been a materially better team when he's on the court. And he keeps getting better. I thought he had a really good year last year. He just got better and better and better and better. And he helps our team on the court in literally every way you can. We turn the ball over less, we turn the other team over more, we rebound better, we shoot a higher percentage, we shoot free throws better. Everything's better with Amen Thompson. So yeah, we're very, very high on him."
Only four players from that class have already secured extensions as the deadline draws ever closer: No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio), No. 16 Keyonte George (Utah) and twins No. 4 Amen Thompson (Houston) and No. 5 Ausar Thompson (Detroit). The strongest candidates to join that list in coming days, league sources say, are No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller (Charlotte), No. 6 Anthony Black (Orlando), No. 10 Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City) and No. 19 Brandin Podziemski (Golden State).
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Varun Shankar: Reed Sheppard on what looks different about Amen Thompson from last season: "I mean, everything. The shot looks really good. It's a lot smoother, and his body looks different. He also had a big summer gaining some weight. You can tell he's been in the gym and improving."
Will Guillory: Asked Amen Thompson if other parts of his game are underappreciated bc people focus so much on his jumper: "They gotta talk about something. I feel like I'm really good at a lot of things. I'm really impactful on the court. It's fun to do that I guess -- pick on that one thing. But I work on it every day. I know I'm going to be a good shooter. So, it doesn't matter to me."
Oh No He Didn't: Ausar on him and Amen signing $100M+ deals: "It's super cool...I'm excited for what's next in the future and if we could break some more records"
