2 points, 4 games, 3 games, 2 points, the genius point guard has disappointed expectations!
After back-to-back home-and-away games against the Mavericks and Pelicans, the Houston Rockets also had a rare two-day break. The Rockets will not have a game until December 27, Beijing time, and the next game will be the Rockets at home against the Indiana Pacers on the morning of the 27th.
The Rockets are getting better and better at the players, but Jalen Green, who has been out of place with the Rockets this season, especially on the offensive end, has taken a big hit to his confidence, not only with fewer shots, but also with a lower and lower shooting percentage, and even his overall stats are not as good as his rookie season. In fact, in addition to Jalen Green, there is another player of the Rockets who is also a bit different in the tactical system, that is, the Rockets' recently returned point guard Amen Thompson.
As the No. 4 pick in the first round of the Rockets this year, Amen Thompson is a talented point guard in everyone's eyes, he is seen as a tall version of Morant, but so far, Amen Thompson has left the deepest impression on people, that is, he has been out of action for more than a month due to an ankle injury, and in addition, in the game, Amen Thompson does not seem to have a particularly good play, and he seems very nervous and cramped on the court, accompanied by many mistakes, as a point guard, this is obviously unqualified.
In the garbage time of the Rockets Mavericks, Amen Thompson played 22 minutes, scoring 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal on 4-of-9 shooting, but also had 3 turnovers, while in the game against the Pelicans, Amen played 10 minutes and only scored two points and one steal. It is worth noting that this is also the third time in Amen Thompson's last four games that he has scored only two points in a single game. As a joke, Amen Thompson has now become the Rockets' "two-point king," and his scoring prowess seems overrated. And Amen Thompson's passing ability is also average, although he can defend the forward line and the back line with his tall stature.
What the Rockets really need is an Amen Thompson who can score, pass, and connect offense, and now Thompson is outside the Rockets' tactical system, and compared with the main point guard VanVleet, it is obvious that Amen Thompson needs more time to Xi learn and absorb experience. In fact, this season, Rockets coach Udoka did not give up the use of Thompson because of his poor performance, in addition to a more than a month of suspension, almost after Amen Thompson returned, he immediately returned to the Rockets' rotation lineup, and the Rockets' usual 9-man rotation lineup also became 10 because of Thompson's return.
Up to now, Thompson has played a total of 8 games for the Rockets, averaging 14.6 minutes per game, contributing 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.5 steals, but his shooting rate is only 41.7%, the three-point shooting rate is as low as 13.3%, and even the free throw shooting rate is only 57%.
Judging from Thompson's current performance, at most he is only a rookie player after the 20th pick in the first round, and the Rockets used the precious No. 4 pick to pick Amen Thompson, which is obviously more disappointing for this pick. Due to Amen Thompson's sluggish performance, the Rockets' No. 4 pick may have been lost.