The Houston Rockets had an impressive NBA season despite their first round playoff exit. Director Ime Udoka highlighted the major changes for young star Amen Thompson.
It was a season of major improvement for the Houston Rockets. They finished as the second seed in the Western Conference, taking the Golden State Warriors into seven games in the playoffs.
Despite the broken heart of Game 7 defeat, there is a silver lining for the rocket. The development of Amen Thompson is one of the biggest bright spots of the season.
Thompson has received a lot of praise, and Stephen Curry predicted that he will become a problem that will move forward. He also nodded from Draymond Green, who called him a special.
Amen’s defenses are the most praised, despite showing signs of offensive growth. However, he has a major change in which Director Imeudoka is happy to see.
The 22-year-old certainly won praise for the series, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved in a fair share of the drama. Jimmy Butler’s big foul in Game 2 was debating whether he was a dirty player or not.
It’s not the best to be a nasty player, but the biggest stage requires a level of toughness. So it makes sense that Ime Udoka enjoyed Thompson and developed something with average stripes.
“He’s realizing who he is,” Udoka said. “I think sometimes you can respect your opponent too much. It was him. You see a lot of rookies coming to do it.
“But if you see them as if they were who they are, it’s just another guy out there, and you look at yourself and hold yourself with higher respect.
“For him, he attacked everyone the same way. He took on the mantra “I have no friends in the courtroom.” And I think you can see nasty stripes coming out in him from time to time… he has grown in every region. ”
The Rockets youth improved every aspect of his newcomer year to sophomore game. He has proven he is a valuable starter on any team in the NBA.
During the regular season in 2024/25, Thompson averaged 14.1 points and rebounded 8.2 games in all matches. What’s also impressive is that he managed to average 1.4 steel and 1.3 blocks per game.
He also scored slightly higher points in the playoffs. Amen averaged 15.7 points in seven games. When you slice it, he took a meaningful step in his career.
The Houston Rockets are linked to Kevin Durant and Giannis Anteto Compo. But if trade is realized, it certainly cannot include Thompson.