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It isn’t yet clear if Amen Thompson will start at point guard for the Rockets, but he is likely to get a look as the team’s lead playmaker, per Chris Mannix (SI).
With Fred VanVleet (right ACL tear) sidelined for most or all of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Houston Rockets have a vacancy in their starting lineup at point guard.
Technically, the Rockets could fill the spot with VanVleet’s backup, second-year prospect Reed Sheppard. Or, they could go larger and attempt to function without a traditional point guard.
Whatever the case, it’s rising star Amen Thompson who could see the most increased usage, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (SI).
Regarding the uber-talented 22-year-old, drafted by Houston at No. 4 overall in the 2023 first round, Mannix writes:
Amen Thompson, Houston’s 6-foot-7 star in waiting, will likely get a look as lead playmaker. Thompson is among the NBA’s best prospects, a defensive menace (he was named to the All-Defensive first team last season) who already ranks among the top guard rebounders (8.2 per game). With the departures of Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green in the (Kevin) Durant deal, Thompson was already expected to take on a larger role. VanVleet’s injury will make it even bigger.
Interestingly, during a recent interview with SI, Thompson noted that improving his playmaking was a priority this offseason. Thompson told SI that he decamped in South Florida this summer with his twin brother, Ausar, working on ball handling in anticipation of having more on-ball responsibilities while preparing to be better at being an extension of the coaching staff on the floor.
Should Thompson technically start at point guard, that could allow the Rockets to slide in either Tari Eason or Dorian Finney-Smith into Thompson’s previous wing position. That would make Houston a longer and more defensively stout unit.
Then again, perhaps the Rockets would be too light on ball-handling and shooting in that configuration. That’s where smaller guards, such as Sheppard and veteran Aaron Holiday, could enter the equation.
But regardless of which head coach Ime Udoka chooses, expect Thompson’s on-ball usage to increase, relative to last season. And that could provide more upside to the Rockets, as a team.
“As giddy as Rockets officials have been about Durant, they’ve been consistent: The development of Houston’s young stars will be the key to a deep playoff run,” Mannix concludes. “That was true before VanVleet’s injury. It’s even more true now.”
In 42 games as a starter last season, Thompson averaged 16.0 points (56.0% FG), 9.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.2 turnovers, 1.7 steals, and 1.6 blocks in 35.9 minutes. A versatile 6-foot-7 prospect, Thompson spent time playing at every position except center.
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