Keep rebuilding! He is the Rockets hope

The 24-25 season is a hopeful turning point for the Rockets. Under the guidance of Uduka, they entered the playoffs as second in the West and fourth in the league. A youth storm swept the league instantly. However, in the first round, they were stubbornly blocked by the Warriors, lost the tiebreak at home and encountered a first round of the game, ending the season with a start and a slash.

Of course, for young teams, they always have to pay some tuition. At the same time, after experiencing this big test, the Rockets also see clearly what these talented sons are?

Shen Jing and Green, who were once highly anticipated, were one of the two cores of the inner and outer cores:

One is soft and weak. As a 6-foot-10-inch big center, he only shot 44.8% of the shooting percentage in less than 10 feet, and his real shooting percentage is less than 50%, which shows how inefficient the offense is;

One is like a headless fly, who only knows how to run around and bump, lacks effective ending methods, and his shooting percentage is only 37.5%, and his defense is completely destroyed;

The so-called seven sons, only Amen Thompson can bear the responsibility. In the final stage of the tie-break battle, except for Van Vleet, only he has the ability to kill. It is also the only young player with a superstar appearance at the Rockets. Not only are he talented, but most importantly, we can see him constantly evolving...

Amen has a very powerful physical talent, but his skills are relatively rough. After graduating from high school, he made an amazing decision to skip the NCAA to join the Overtime Elite League. This move made many fans who are optimistic about him sweat. Although they were still a year later, they entered the NBA as the No. 4 pick, but no one can say what height they can reach in the future, because Amen needs to polish too much, but now it seems that we are worrying too much.

In the rookie season, Amen's highlights were mostly concentrated on the defensive end, but just when everyone thought that he would become a defensive elite in the future, this season, while Amen focused on defense, he also created surprises on the offensive end, showing certain scoring and support skills.

Average 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.2 blocks, a shooting percentage of 55.7%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 27.5%.

On the defensive end, Amen is becoming more mature and stable, and can defend from No. 1 to No. 4. Under his defense, the opponent's shooting percentage will drop by 5.5%, among which the defender's shooting percentage will be limited to 38.2% and 29.2%, and the striker's shooting percentage will be limited to 40% and 32%. It can be seen that Amen can be regarded as a nightmare for defenders. Even an All-Star-level star is difficult to break through his ten fingers. For example, Morant, under Amen's defense, his shooting percentage is only 33%, and Donovan Mitchell, his shooting percentage is only 18%.

defensive efficiency value is 105.3, ranking first in the team and is the Rockets' absolute defensive core. In the final DPOY selection, Amen won 9 first votes and ranked fifth. For a long time in the future, Amen will be a strong contender for DPOY.

On the offensive end, Amen has evolved from a rough man to a "semi-finished product", and his arsenal is no longer deserted. Data shows that his breakthroughs this season can reach 519 times, ranking third in the team. Unfortunately, his efficiency is relatively average, with a shooting percentage of only 45.8%, far lower than those breakthrough masters. However, in the playoffs, Amen's breakthrough has become one of the Rockets' few stable scoring points.

Far shooting is still a weakness, and there is almost no threat from 16 feet away. The only surprise is that Amen's three-point shooting percentage this season has exceeded 30%. In addition, his ball quotient and vision are also excellent. He can seize fleeting passes while moving and accurately deliver assists. In February, Amen averaged as many as 6.3 assists, including two assists in double-digit games.

In the playoffs, although they are all their first major competitions, compared with others, Amen has significantly stronger pressure resistance. He has delivered a report card with an average of 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.8 blocks, and a shooting percentage of 49.4%. Among them, he ranked third in the team, second in the rebounds, third in the assists, second in the steals, and third in the blocks. He is one of the best players in the Rockets team. Amen Thompson in the 2024-25 season has transformed from a "defensive engineer" to a tactical core of offense and defense. Although his shooting shortcomings limit his ceiling, his athletic talent, defensive sense and game attitude have laid a solid foundation for future growth to become an All-Star. If he can stabilize his three-point shooting percentage to 35% and his breakthrough efficiency exceeds 50% in the next two years, he is expected to become the next star in the league with offense and defense.

As the Ringer commented: "His existence itself can change the game situation. This talent cannot be taught, but can only be respected."

The Rockets' future is becoming clearer with the rise of Amen.