Houston Rockets rising star Amen Thompson is taking on a new challenge in his third NBA season by learning one of the hardest positions in pro sports: starting point guard.
Following the devastating ACL injury to Rockets guard Fred VanVleet in September, the Rockets were forced to adjust their championship-caliber starting lineup on the fly. One of the biggest adjustments was designating the athletic marvel Thompson as the starting point guard, a position he has not played regularly since high school.
In an effort to ease his transition, Thompson has spent extensive time studying some of the greatest point guards in league history. Particularly, the budding Rockets star told longtime NBA analyst Marc J. Spears that he frequently watches film of two-time champion Rajon Rondo to help learn the nuances of being a floor general.
Before games, Thompson has gotten in the habit of watching YouTube highlight reels of Rondo, and other dynamic guards like Russell Westbrook, John Wall and Chris Paul, adding bits of their game to his ever-evolving offensive repertoire.
“I love watching those type of guys to see how they attack when given the opportunity,” Thompson told Andscape. “I also like how they can command the floor. I’ve been a LeBron [James], Westbrook and John Wall fan. And then I started watching Rondo and was like, ‘Yo, this man is nice.’
“I knew he was nice, but I didn’t know he was that nice,” he said of the 16-year NBA veteran Rondo. “But I started watching a lot of him because of the way he impacts the game while they are letting him shoot, but he still gets to where he wants and distributes and grabs 20 rebounds at 6-foot-2.”
Rajon Rondo is the Perfect Blueprint for Amen Thompson
GettyRajon Rondo ranks fourth in all-time Celtics assists
Thompson entered this season with All-Star aspirations as a shooting guard, but selflessly pivoted to point guard for the betterment of the team.
Growing pains are expected as the 22-year-old Oakland native adjusts to a new position, but Thompson hopes to expedite the learning curve by studying high IQ players like Rondo and Paul.
Although Rondo does not possesses otherworldly athleticism like Thompson, the Boston Celtics great is still an ideal option for the young Rockets guard to model his game after.
Both guards are tenacious defenders with a knack for generating pass deflections and steals who are somewhat limited offensively by a lack of a reliable jump shot.
Still, even while playing during the league-wide three-point revolution, Rondo consistently found ways to positively impact the offense.
Rondo quickly earned a reputation as an elite floor general capable of getting his teammates involved. The former Kentucky standout was the starting point guard for the 2008 championship Celtics squad and a key component of a team that made another NBA Finals appearance in 2010. His 4474 assists as a Celtic are the fourth-most in franchise history.
Now, Thompson hopes to have a similar output in Houston and elevate the Rockets to a championship-level with stellar point guard play.
Amen Thompson is Excelling in New Role for Houston
GettyAmen Thompson is averaging career highs in points and assists in 2025
So far, it’s hard to argue the results of his position swap, as the former first-round pick is averaging career highs of 17.4 points and 5.1 assists per game entering Thursday.
“He’s handling it great,” VanVleet told Andscape about Thompson. “It’s a lot of processing and downloading information. But you see him getting more comfortable game by game. It’s a big responsibility, but he’s up for it.”
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is also pleased with Thompson’s progression as a floor general.
Stone told Andscape: “We’ve been happy with Amen. I’ve been happy with our team. We like the young guys and their progression. I’d rather have Fred healthy. But we all would. Amen would. Everyone would. No one wants to see their teammate not healthy.
“But Ime is right about this one, ‘No one gives an [expletive].’ So, we got to play through.”
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