Amen Thompson was the No. 4 pick in a loaded 2023 NBA Draft — and he fell way too far.
The Overtime Elite product took a unique path to NBA stardom, essentially battling high school competition in an obscure, Atlanta-based "pro league" instead of playing in college or taking his talents to a more challenging environment overseas. Still, the tape was always incredible. Thompson might just be the best athlete in the world, and his skill set features precious few holes.
It was a great stroke of luck for the Houston Rockets, and one that could define the next decade of competition in the Western Conference. Not to get too far ahead of the curve — Thompson began this season coming off the bench — but there's a reason Houston looks like such a credible force in the West, even with a young and mostly incomplete roster.
Alperen Sengun was the lone All-Star for this upstart Rockets team, but Thompson is right on his heels. The 22-year-old is actualizing his talent in real time, emerging as the clear second banana on a top-five team in his conference. He will be the primary banana before long.
At 6-foot-7 and 209 pounds, Thompson has your prototypical build on the wing. What is not prototypical is... just about everything else.
FanSided's NBA99, a ranking of the best players in the league, puts Thompson at No. 35. He is listed ahead of names like Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, and Zion Williamson. That may feel like a stretch. Like we're jumping the gun. But, let me asure you, we aren't. Thompson has arrived. He's just waiting on the rest of us to realize.
Check out NBA 99, FanSided’s list of the 99 best players in the NBA. These rankings are a living project, updated regularly throughout the year, exploring how each player has carved out their NBA niche and how it is evolving over time. If you love the list, share it! If you hate it, even more reason to share it!
Why Rockets wing Amen Thompson is already an elite NBA player
Since Thompson permanently entered the starting lineup on Jan. 5, the talented Swiss Army Knife is averaging 16.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on .552/.290/.722 splits in 37.8 minutes per game. He has become a complete workhorse for the Rockets, enduring a heavy minutes load and impacting winning across all areas of the game.
He still doesn't shoot 3s much at all, but that's the only glaring weakness in Thompson's repertoire. It is also greatly exaggerated as a negative attribute. Yes, it does impact spacing, but Thompson's game is not adversely affected by the way defenses play him on the perimeter.
Blessed with one of the most explosive first steps in basketball, Thompson can get downhill and snake his way through the teeth of the defense at will. Leave him 10 feet of space at the 3-point line, and he'll close the gap in an instant. Giving Thompson a free head of steam and the room to create an angle to the rim is a bold strategy — and not often an effective one. Try to blanket him at the point of attack, and Thompson will still turn the corner with ease.
Around the rim, he's one of the best sub-seven foot finishers in the NBA. Thompson displays an incredible blend of power and finesse, practically floating through the air like a feather on the wind... if it was shot out of a canon and extremely coordinated. He's not the strongest player, but Thompson embraces physicality.
He can fight through traffic and maintain his balance upon contact. When he's not slamming it home, Thompson has a nifty package of acrobatics he can deploy to finish around a shot contest. The floater and a little mid-range pull-up game are progressing nicely, which is important for Thompson to unlock the next level of offensive stardom.
What makes Thompson special, beyond the breakneck drives and emphatic dunks, it just how versatile and scalable he is within the offense. Houston can essentially deploy him at all five positions. Ask Thompson to set screens, create on the short roll, or sit in the dunker's spot, and he will do so with aplomb. Ask him to run point, and he's a sneaky advanced ball-handler with some of the sharpest passing chops in his age group.
Thompson grew up as a point guard, always with the ball in his hands. It's a credit to his lack of ego that he so quickly thrived in a more streamlined role with Houston, regularly operating as a connector and a play-finisher.
The Rockets are steadily leaning into Thompson more and more as a playmaking fulcrum. For a team short on dependable halfcourt advantage creators, Thompson's ability to tilt a defense and set up teammates is extremely valuable. So is all the other stuff he does, however. The Rockets benefit a ton from Thompson's timely backcourt cuts and vertical lob threat. He's a frequent running mate for the likes of Jalen Green or Fred VanVleet in transition, giving Houston the threat of nuclear detonation on fast breaks.
Perhaps what is most special of all, however, is Thompson's defense. He is going to get votes for first team All-Defense this season, despite beginning the year as a bench cog. He might even sneak in a few DPOY votes with Victor Wembanyama out of the picture. Thompson might be the best positional rebounder in the NBA, but he's also a complete game-wrecker as defensive free safety. Let him roam passing lanes and hover for weak-side blocks, and Thompson will find a way to disrupt the opposition's game plan. He's averaging 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks, but that hardly does it justice. He has emerged as a bona fide all-world defensive force for the Rockets, who still butter their bread on that end of the court.
Thompson is just now breaking into the upper echelons of NBA stardom, but there's no need for patience on our side. He's the 35th best player in the league right now, and his standing should only improve from here.