Jabari Smith Jr. Admits Amen Thompson Has Improved His Jump Shot

On the Rockets, the offense is mostly handled by certain players. Durant will take over as the number one option, while All-Star center Sengun will be moved to the second option and a playmaker.

Fred VanVleet was supposed to be there, but a torn ACL has left him out for the 2025-26 season. Now, the Rockets are looking for an offensive boost, which could fall to Smith and Thompson. The former is already reliable with his shooting, but the same cannot be said about the latter.

Smith Saw Thompson Make Big Strides as a Shooter

Thompson is a student of the game, so he knows he has to make improvements to his game. This includes improving his consistency on jump shots. In some games, he would hit multiple threes, but he would regress and miss plenty of attempts.

During the summer, it looks like Thompson made sure to work on his game. His teammate, Smith, has praised Amen because the athletic youngster is working on his game in the best way possible.

"He has a lot more confidence in it, especially his mid-range coming off of pick-and-rolls. It looks a lot better, a lot more fluid. If he’s making shots, it makes us a totally different team, and him a totally different player," Smith said during training camp.

Thompson Must Step Up in VanVleet's Absence

Before the season even started, the Rockets were dealt a significant blow with VanVleet's injury. It is a tricky situation because he was the established point guard on the roster.

Now that he is sidelined, VanVleet will concede his spot to other players. Most people see the Rockets' 2024 #3 overall pick Reed Sheppard taking over. However, he is still a bit raw, so the Rockets could go for Thompson playing as a point guard.

That would mean the Rockets will play a super-sized lineup with Thompson playing point guard, while Steven Adams and Sengun continue the double-big lineup in the frontcourt. The other two starters will be Smith and Durant.

However, the Rockets could also opt to choose Tari Eason to enter the starting lineup. It will mostly be the same core, but having Eason provides the team with some of the best perimeter defense in the league, with the energy provided by both Thompson and Eason.

It will be interesting for Udoka to work on. He is a fantastic coach who was dealt a bad hand with VanVleet's injury. However, the team is talented enough to get through it, so it will still be an exciting year ahead for the Houston Rockets.