Former NBA head coach, David Fizdale, asked if the Rockets should trade for a point guard: “They’ve got a beast of one. What are we talking about?”
When veteran Fred VanVleet tore the ACL in his right knee in September, speculation swirled around the NBA that the Rockets would eventually need to acquire a replacement point guard.
But Houston turned over the keys to third-year prospect Amen Thompson, and to this point, the early returns are promising. The Rockets are currently tied for No. 3 in the NBA in offensive rating, and at 16-6, they are tied for the second-fewest losses in the Western Conference.
Only defending champion Oklahoma City (24-1) has fewer losses, and Thompson helped the Rockets extend the Thunder to double overtime earlier this season. At home, the Thunder eventually survived by a point, with Thompson unable to finish due to cramping.
For the 2025-26 season overall, Thompson is averaging a career-high 17.5 points and 5.2 assists, along with 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. After earning All-Defensive First Team honors in 2024-25, the 22-year-old remains a force on that side of the ball, as well.
On NBA TV’s The Association, former NBA head coach David Fizdale was asked if he thinks the Rockets should trade for a point guard once the league’s unofficial trade season opens on Dec. 15. Fizdale was an assistant the past two years with the Phoenix Suns, where he worked closely with current Rockets star Kevin Durant.
Regarding Houston’s potential need for a point guard, Fizdale responded:
They’ve got a beast of one (a point guard). What are we talking about? Look at what the guy is doing. He is running the team like he’s been doing it for a while. Which he has, by the way. I keep telling everybody that he did in high school, and he came from OTE (Overtime Elite). He did it there.
This guy guards the points, which is great to have one of the best defenders in the league starting off your defense, every time.
People gap him, so he has no (ball) pressure on him. It’s like how people used to guard (Rajon) Rondo. It’s basically guarding Tom Brady and not putting pressure on him.
The beauty of what they do in the halfcourt is they give the ball to KD to handle, or (Alperen) Sengun to handle, and they put him (Thompson) on the baseline. And every time you trap one of those guys, they hit that short roll, and he’s at the rim.
“Picking you apart,” adds former Rockets guard Cuttino Mobley, who took part in the NBA TV segment alongside Fizdale.
At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, Thompson has the size, athleticism, and physicality to play at and guard numerous positions. That versatility has become extremely important to the Rockets and head coach Ime Udoka — and to this point, it’s a big part of how they’ve survived the aftermath of VanVleet’s unfortunate injury.
