Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets
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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 19: Amen Thompson #1 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the first half of the basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on February 19, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
In the absence of Fred VanVleet, the Houston Rockets have been utilizing third-year star Amen Thompson as a point guard on a near-enough full-time basis. Considering Thompson’s above-average ball-handling and playmaking skills for the forward position, it has long been a hope that he could play the position, and the lack of a senior backup point guard on the current roster was done with Thompson in mind.
However, the early results are not favorable.
Being a quality ball-handler and creator for the forward position that most favors his body type is different to being good enough at those skills to be a full-time NBA point guard. Thompson is an elite athlete, a disruptive defender and one of the best transition players in the league, but running an offense possession after possession in the half court requires a different skill set.
Thompson’s Skills Not Quite There Yet
Part of the problem is Thompson’s own lack of floor spacing from what should be the ultimate floor-spacing position. He is shooting only 19.4% from three-point range on the season, and they are rarely contested attempts – given that his shooting form makes it look as though he is trying to reach something from the top shelf of a supermarket aisle, Thompson does not inspire much future confidence in this area. Beyond that, though, comes the lack of fluency that stems from a lack of repetitions.
Every single possession in an NBA game, even the ones in which not much appears to happen, requires dozens of split-second decisions and reads out of all corners of all eyes. Thompson can handle the ball, drive and scan, but to get the ball consistently to the required spot requires seeing everything before it happens, and reacting. It is a lot to do, and there is a reason only a few dozen people in the world can do it.
Lacking a natural point guard such as VanVleet to play crucial minutes in the fourth quarters and overtimes of games has seen the Rockets lose multiple games after leading big heading into the fourth quarter – and it is not a coincidence that they also lead the league in overtime losses. As defensive pressure picks up late in the game, and the decisions come even thicker and faster, Thompson is often a half-step slow, and is susceptible to double-teams. Bringing the ball up several dozen times a game generally requires a low center of gravity that he does not have, and the game management requires a level of familiarity in the role that Thompson does not have – and which a Rockets team with competitive aspirations cannot afford to give him.
Rockets Still Believe They Can Contend
Those aspirations are real, even in a post-VanVleet world. Even with all their injuries, the Rockets are still in third place in the Western Conference with a 37-21 record. There is a distinct gap from them to the top two seeds, the Oklahoma City Thunder and white-hot San Antonio Spurs, and it is widening. Yet the Rockets have not fallen off without VanVleet, which speaks to both the quality of their defensive unit and of Thompson’s talent level as a fill-in.
Indeed, none of the above is to denigrate Thompson as an NBA player. He is very good, and the fact that the above suggests he is not a point guard does not change that. Thompson is particularly good defensively, and will be among the NBA’s best players for the next decade.
The problem for Houston, though, is that the modern NBA requires the guard play that they no longer have. Alperen Sengun’s excellent playmaking chops from the center position help a lot in the halfcourt, but NBA defensive schemes and personnel are too advanced for inside-outside basketball to be the majority of a team’s play. In VanVleet’s absence, the Rockets are getting the opportunity to test out the efficacy of the Thompson-at-point hypothetical – but the only clear result on display is that VanVleet is required for competitiveness.