The Houston Rockets have had one of the busiest summers in the NBA leading up to the 2025-26 season.
The Rockets’ biggest move was the trade of Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns, turning them into a title contender.
The only negative of Houston’s offseason was Fred VanVleet suffering a long-term knee injury in training.
This leaves the Rockets without a recognized point guard, so Armen Thompson is expected to step up his playmaking responsibilities.
Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone also expects them to emulate the strategy he used with Nikola Jokic.
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Malone called Rockets head coach I’m Udoka “very good” and “very creative,” but expected him to emulate the Nuggets.
Jokic is perhaps the player most similar to Alperen Sengan in the NBA, so it would make sense for Houston to study how the Nuggets can get the most out of him.
Malone now thinks he will use Sengun more as a playmaker to compensate for VanVleet’s absence, as Udoka asked Jokic to do.
“Oh, easy. Armen Thompson is the answer. Amen. Hallelujah. He was a point guard in Overtime Elite,” Malone said of the Rockets’ situation.
“As Park said, Ime Udoka is a great head coach and very creative. He’s getting the reps he needs in the preseason, but it’s not just an amen.
“Alperen Sengun is going to lead the break, kind of what he did with Nikola Jokic in Denver. He’s going to be the starting point of the attack. He’s going to be the hub.
“Sengun led the preseason with over eight assists per game. He’s a player who can play in the post, elbow and high post.”
“But Armen Thompson, a young guy, can do it all. It’s going to be a lot asked of him, but watching him play, I have a lot of respect for him. He’s more than ready for that challenge.”
Thompson will likely be asked to handle the ball more this season, but he could also make a bigger impact defensively.
Kendrick Perkins even believes Thompson will challenge Victor Wembaneyama for Defensive Player of the Year.
“The world is ready to give Victor Wembaneyama the Defensive Player of the Year award, but at that point Armen Thompson is behind him like a back pocket,” Perkins said.
“We know what he brings defensively. He is the youngest player in Rockets history to be named to the All-Defensive team and the first to make the All-Defensive team.”