Rockets' Amen Thompson Provides Minor Positive in Loss to Grizzlies

"He did okay overall," Udoka said. "He is still making rookie mistakes at times. But there are things you would like to grow upon and move past. I think just him getting himself into foul trouble, he was too aggressive at times. It may have looked like a foul when he was really in a good position."

Since the injury to Fred VanVleet on Feb. 4, Thompson has displayed the all-around potential that gave the Rockets confidence to select him with the No. 4 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. It took a while for him to find his footing in the league due to unforeseen circumstances at the start of the year.

A Grade 2 ankle sprain and flu symptoms sidelined Thompson for 19 of 20 games from Nov. 4 to Dec. 18.

The time he missed was hard. Injuries and an illness not only forced Thompson to miss out on the chance to help his teammates, but the absences could have interfered with his development.

However, Thompson has since led the Rockets in rebounding over the previous five games, averaging 11.6 boards since their three-point loss to the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 6. Thompson has recorded 13 rebounds twice during the span. 

"I just feel like I'm a lot more athletic than a lot of people," Thompson said. "I can out-jump them and l'm active, so l can get a lot of rebounds."

It has been over a month since Thompson received his first career start against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 21. The milestone came in a defeat. But Thompson said his play against the Celtics gave him an opportunity to learn schemes while the game became more instinctual.

Thirteen games since his first career start, Thompson's instincts have led to him being the lone positive Udoka took amid his discouraging departure from FedExForum.