For the final month of the 2023-24 NBA season, Amen Thompson started at power forward for the Houston Rockets. The change was brought about by Jabari Smith Jr. shifting from power forward to center, which occurred due to an injury suffered by Alperen Sengun.
Now, for the foreseeable future, Thompson is back in that role, albeit with a twist. With Smith out for at least a month due to a fractured left hand, it’s now Thompson starting next to Sengun on a new-look front line.
“We’ll plug him in like we do at pretty much every position, when guys are down,” head coach Ime Udoka said after Smith’s injury. “The games where Amen has started, we haven’t missed a beat.”
At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, Thompson isn’t as tall or bulky as Smith, and the second-year prospect is a much worse shooter from 3-point range. That could bring some floor-spacing concerns, since Sengun also isn’t a long-range shooting threat.
The upside is that the 21-year-old is even more athletic and versatile defensively, and he’s also better as a rebounder and as an off-ball lob threat. In 27.8 minutes per game this season, Thompson is averaging 11.9 points (55.6% FG, 26.2% on 3-pointers), 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
With Thompson no longer coming off the bench, that could leave an opening for Cam Whitmore, Jae’Sean Tate, and Tari Eason (when or if he returns from his own injury) to play many of the reserve minutes that had previously belonged to Thompson.
In five games this season with Thompson as a starter, the Rockets are 4-1, and the lone loss was an improbable one versus Minnesota in which Houston led by 16 points with under five minutes to play. As a starter, Thompson is averaging 16.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 58.6% from the field. His true-shooting percentage is 63.8%, and the Rockets are +17.1 with Thompson on the floor in those games.
Houston’s offensive and defensive ratings in those games are approximately 124 and 102, respectively, per Basketball Reference.
More: After breaking left hand, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. out at least a month
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: As injuries mount, Amen Thompson named Rockets’ starting power forward
