Following May 15th’s lottery, the Houston Rockets have landed the 4th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Going into their third season of a rebuild and after the recent hiring of new Head Coach Ime Udoka, Houston’s draft selection is one they cannot afford to make a mistake on.
Amen Thompson has been widely regarded as the consensus 4th overall pick in this year’s draft. The explosive 6’7 guard has exceptional playmaking abilities, world class athleticism and a key willingness to drive to the rim. In high school, Thompson was a 5-star recruit and won a state title during his time at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale. Amen then joined the Overtime Elite City Reapers, playing 16 games and averaging 16.4 ppg, 5.9 apg and 5.9 rpg. He is currently being compared to Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and Shaedon Sharpe of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Houston Rockets have been stuck toward the bottom of league standings for the last 3 years. Thompson’s ball-handling and on-court vision would allow the Rockets to have a lineup with three capable playmakers, alongside Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. During an interview at the NBA Scouting Combine, Amen spoke on the prospect of pairing with Jalen Green in the Houston backcourt, “It compares greatly with a player like Jalen Green. He can get off the bounce too, create for others just like me.” Newly-hired Head Coach Ime Udoka revealed that the prospect of landing Amen Thompson has allowed the Rockets to remain hopeful for the upcoming season, “The scouting department and front office have done a lot more behind the scenes, but we feel we have a really great player at the No. 4 spot.” Udoka will be hoping that he will be able to bring a winning culture to Houston, just as he did during his time with the Boston Celtics, and Thompson could be a key part of his rotation going forward.
Amen’s 25% shooting from beyond the 3-point line has raised some questions inside the Rockets fan base however, Houston will go into next season with approximately $60 million in salary cap space, allowing for some key free agent signings to be made which could mean veteran sharpshooters to pair with the athleticism and playmaking abilities of Thompson.
As a Houston fan myself, I’m excited at the idea of Amen joining the roster for the upcoming season and interested to see how Coach Udoka gets the best out of the talented guard.
Delivered by Flynn Gafford
