Amen Thompson is pure electricity on the court. Nobody moves like him (with the possible exception of his twin brother). At 6-foot-7, it’s fair to call Thompson the best NBA athlete and leave it at that. He’s lightning let out of the bottle, capable of nixing defenders with a deadly first step and impossible to keep out of the paint, even without a viable 3-point shot in his repertoire.
- Chris Kline
FanSided Staff Writer
Aside from the jumper, there’s not much that Thompson can’t do. He’s a brilliant live-dribble passer, capable of throwing darts with either hands while moving full-speed down the lane. He’s a top-tier positional rebounder. He’s a legitimate DPOY candidate on the wing, collecting weak-side blocks and backdoor steals at an absurd rate. His motor runs white-hot and opponents struggle to properly estimate Thompson’s athleticism. He can go from covering a shooter in the corner to stuffing a shot at the rim quicker than our brains process the light stimulating our retinas.
The finishing efficiency is elite. Thompson explodes through gaps in the defense and glides for above-rim finishes with unfathomable ease. His adaptability is the skeleton key which unlocks Houston’s entire roster. The Rockets can deploy Thompson as a point guard, or slot him in the dunker spot and benefit from his robust ancillary skill set — short roll passes, timely cuts, sharp connective passes, emphatic put-backs on the offensive glass. He scales up and down without ego. He’s not a star in the making. He’s just a star.