The Houston Rockets had an interesting battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening game.
The Houston Rockets nearly pulled off an upset over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The game went into double overtime, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made two game-winning free throws and the Thunder won 125-124.
Despite the loss, the Rockets had plenty of bright spots in this game, including their young, developing stars.
Armen Thompson started at point guard for the Rockets. He recorded 18 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds in 38 minutes.
Armen Thompson struggled in this game, going 0-for-7 on 3-point shots from deep. His outside shooting remains a concern for him to excel at point guard.
Jeff Teague noted Thompson’s shooting struggles and compared him to the more athletic Rajon Rondo, minus the basketball IQ.
“Thompson twins. He’s Rajon Rondo. He’s much more athletic, but if you’re going to play point guard, he’s Rajon Rondo point guard.”
“He doesn’t have the IQ at all like Rondo, he doesn’t know the game at all like Rondo, Rondo can set you apart.
“But his ability, he can get to the basket, he can make plays, he’s good defensively.
“He’s not really a shooter. He needs to learn how to play the dunker. Until he learns how to shoot, that’s the only way he’ll be effective.”
Teague compared Thompson to Russell Westbrook because of Thompson’s explosiveness and the way he attacks the basket.
He also said that even if the Rockets signed Westbrook instead of the Sacramento Kings, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea because he could show Thompson the ropes.
“If you think about it, he’s Russell Westbrook. His explosiveness, the way he gets to the basket. But Russell was more of a point guard and knew what to do.
“And now that I think about it, it might not have been a bad idea for them to pick up Russell and just show him the ropes a little bit.”
But Teague pointed out that it’s “not great” to have Westbrook and Durant together.
Overall, point guard Thompson is a work in progress, but the 22-year-old is showing solid signs of play.