Midway through March, Houston has yet to be able to crack a potential Play-In spot with a formidable four teams ahead of them.
The Golden State Warriors in 10th, Los Angeles Lakers in ninth, Dallas Mavericks in eighth and Phoenix Suns in seventh, this is a stacked bottom half of the projected playoff situation currently. And with the Rockets in 11th and sitting less than four games back from Golden State, Houston is going to have to drastically turn things up in their final 16 games if they wish to secure a Play-In bid.
For now, they're doing all they can. 6-1 in their last seven and currently on a four-game winning streak, they'll have a pretty tough stretch to close out the season. Facing the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, L.A. Clippers and Mavericks on the road within a span of a month is daunting for any team, but even more so for a team vying for a spot in the postseason.
With a very untimely Grade 3 ankle sprain for the Rockets' best player on the floor in Alperen Sengun – who will most likely miss the rest of the season – the Rockets would have loved to have further hinged on both of its rookies in Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. Though, another untimely injury plagued Whitmore, as he'll miss at least three weeks with a knee issue.
It's a long shot with a streaky Jalen Green at the helm now, but the value Amen Thompson provides for this Rockets team has certainly been invaluable. Enough to will them to a Play-In spot, most likely not. But even so, what Thompson has been exposed to this season and what he's accomplished despite an injury-riddled Houston team should spark enthusiasm in any Rockets fan.
Throughout the Rockets current winning streak, Thompson has added nearly 14 points and seven rebounds a night while shooting 78% from the floor. His activity on the boards, running the floor in transition and working off the ball in the half court has been vital for opening up the offense and providing easy points at the rim. On the season, Thompson averages 8.1 points on 52% shooting with 5.7 rebounds per game.
In these last four weeks of the season, he'll have to step up further and increase his responsibility as a scorer with both Sengun and Whitmore sidelined.
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