Amen can t play point guard for the time being! He s a good prospect who focuses on off the ball + defense and will become a talent. Don t go astray for the Rockets.

Translator's Note: This article was originally published by TheAthletic, written by SamAmick. The data in the article are as of the time of publication of the original article (October 29, local time). The opinions in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

There has been a lot of discussion about whether Amen Thompson is a point guard, but what really matters is that he just needs to be Amen Thompson. Amen Thompson is like "Schrödinger's point guard" - he is both a point guard and not a point guard.

After three games, the Houston Rockets have begun to try to unravel the mystery of this "Schrödinger's box." But so far, things don't look promising. For the most part, Thompson didn't look ready to take on the responsibility of running an NBA offense.

However, the data samples of only two games are not enough to draw any conclusions, but we can (cautiously) speculate that Thompson may not be suitable as a point guard-and this is not a problem.

Amen Thompson has not shown the characteristics of a point guard yet

In the 2025-26 season, Thompson performed fairly well as a pick-and-roll ball handler. He scored just 1.0 points per possession, which was in the top 30% of the league.

At the beginning of the season, it is difficult to find convincing enough supporting data. This also shows that it is too early to draw conclusions, and may even make people feel that this article is somewhat aimless. At the same time, it may also confirm the view that the non-stop sports writing model 365 days a year is somewhat outdated - but in any case, we still want to be grateful for having such a platform to express our opinions.

There is another data for reference: In the first two games, Amen's average number of assists per game (3.0 times) was exactly the same as the average number of turnovers per game. This is not a good sign.

Of course, we are all happy with the result of the Rockets' victory over the Nets, and we also praised Thompson's performance of providing 8 assists and not making a single mistake in that game, but at the same time, we have to admit that the Nets' lineup is indeed terrible.

To be honest, when Thompson was drafted, he was ostensibly being trained as a point guard. But the Rockets, who suddenly became eager to win, did not use him according to this positioning. Instead, they arranged him as an off-ball wing player whose main responsibilities were focused on the defensive end. Thompson's performance at this position is nothing short of amazing - he seems to have every potential to be the best player in the NBA for this relatively flexible role.

But here's the complication: If Thompson focuses his energy on competing for Defensive Player of the Year, he has every potential to be a candidate for the award. But now in the third season of his career, he still seems to have some difficulty in controlling the ball. So wouldn't it be a more reasonable choice to continue to develop him into a defensive wing player?

Perhaps this is because the Rockets are in urgent need of a qualified point guard. So far, the team is letting Thompson and Sheppard share the development opportunities at the ball-handling position. In this team that aspires to win the championship, they actually chose to be perfunctory in the most important position of basketball.

Someone has to make concessions or changes.

The Rockets need to let Thompson be himself

Therefore, the team first needs to introduce a true point guard.

Alternatively, the team can organize its offense more around Shen Jing. In fact, we have tried this method before. Increasing Shen Jing's ball usage rate while reducing Thompson's ball possessions should theoretically make the team's offense more fluid and efficient. But as the 2025-26 season progresses, the Rockets may need to introduce another reliable ball-handler.

Thompson does not need to deliberately become a point guard, nor does he need to deliberately avoid this position. He is essentially a point forward. Thompson perfectly explains the core characteristics of the blurred boundaries of player positions in the era of positionless basketball.

More specifically, this means that when the opponent's defense rotates, Thompson can take the initiative to attack, make precise passing judgments or directly attack the basket. He can create scoring opportunities on his own in a flowing offense. But the Rockets shouldn't design too many tactics specifically targeting Thompson as the primary ball-handler.

If he can do that and focus on running off the ball and setting screens for his teammates the rest of the time on offense while continuing to be one of the league's top defensive wings, then the Rockets have a bonafide star. According to this positioning development, Thompson is fully capable of being selected for the best team. He may become the next Andrei Kirilenko, or an enhanced version of Gerald Wallace, or Grant Hill, whose offensive ability is reduced by 20% but his defensive strength is improved countless times.

It's easy to become myopic about the role of NBA players. Let's take a broader view. Thompson's BPM in his sophomore season reached 4.1, which is better than many NBA stars performed at the same stage of their careers. No matter what type of player he ends up developing into, there will always be a place for him in the league.

In terms of his athleticism alone, his talent is off the charts.