The Houston Rockets received news no team wants before the start of the season. Right before the start of training camp, Fred VanVleet suffered a potential season-ending injury during his offseason workout routine.
VanVleet suffered a torn ACL that more than likely will keep him out for the rest of the season. Even though VanVleet has left the door open to a possible return at the end of the season, all signs point to VanVleet being out until the start of next season. That left the Rockets shorthanded in the backcourt, mainly after they traded Jalen Green as part of the Kevin Durant blockbuster earlier in the offseason.
That left only Reed Sheppard, Aaron Holiday, and Amen Thompson, who hadn’t played as a full-time point guard since his OTE days a few years ago. Thompson came in as a point guard, but with VanVleet on the roster, the Rockets moved Thompson to forward, and the move paid off immediately.
Thompson thrived playing off the ball as a cutter and in the dunker’s spot, as he didn’t have to worry as much about setting up his teammates. Thompson could focus on going 100 mph every play and playing off the attention Alperen Sengun drew on the offensive end.
Thompson had a career-high in rebounds and became one of the best defensive players in the NBA, making the first-team All-NBA Defensive Team. Now, with the injury to their floor general, Thompson is expected to be the Rockets’ best defender still and also take over the point guard duties. So far, Thompson has done just that as he is on his way to a career year as a playmaker.
Nov 1, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) drives to the basket during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Through the Rockets’ first five games, Amen Thompson is second on the team in assists per game, averaging 5.8, which is two more than his previous high of 3.8 per game, which he achieved last season. That is significant because Thompson is still the player the Rockets count on game in and game out to guard the other team’s best player, which is a lot of responsibility.
Even with the added responsibility as a playmaker, the Rockets won’t take some of the burden off him on offense. Kevin Durant and especially Alperen Sengun still have a good amount of the offense run through them. Sengun currently leads the Rockets in assists and, more times than not, initiates the offense or, at the very least, draws a double team, which gets his teammates open.
That meant Thompson could pick his spots and not have to worry about being the able playmaker. Thompson as a point is a work in progress as the team still gets to life without their on and off court leader Fred VanVleet but if Thompson continues on this same path, he could be in line for a career season.
