May 4, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) warms up before game seven of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Rockets’ Guard Projected to Win NBA’s Most Improved Award

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Derek Parker | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 2:14 PM ET

Rockets’ guard Amen Thompson is already looked at as one of the league’s brightest young stars.

With truly one-of-one athleticism and glaring feel for the game, he’s come on as one of Houston’s most important pieces. Next season, the team is hoping that Thompson joins one-time All-Star Alperen Sengun and all-time forward Kevin Durant in stardom.

And it looks like experts league-wide are predicting that to be the case.

Per ESPN’s Summer Forecast — which has NBA reporters, editors and analysts predict the 2025-26 season’s major award winners — Thompson is the runaway favorite to bring home the Most Improved Award.

The prediction makes plenty of sense, given Thompson’s ascension to his current status. In just Year 2, he averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and nearly three steals and blocks combined per game, shooting 56% overall.

He’s now certain to have some added ball-handling opportunity with Jalen Green out of the picture and an off-ball savant in Durant signed on.

Thompson winning would be par for the course of the award’s last half-decade. Outside of Dyson Daniels’ win last season, the trophy has typically gone to players that saw star leaps, such as Tyrese Maxey, Lauri Markkanen, Ja Morant and more. Should Thompson see another boost to his stat, that would undoubtedly be classified as a leap into the star tier.

Amen Thompson '24-25 pic.twitter.com/b5uDyMcSzo
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) July 7, 2025

“Thompson will be entering his third season in the NBA, having already taken a jump in Year 2, and he hasn't even been a full-time starter yet,” Jamal Collier wrote. “His offensive game showed signs of improvement in the playoffs, with better handles and a jumper as he upped his scoring averages as the series went on, giving the league a glimpse of what he can do on the other side of the ball. That should be elevated, considering Thompson will be playing next to Kevin Durant this season,”

Thompson will certainly have his work cut out to win the award, as several players across the league are sure to be vying for it as well. ESPN predicted Thompson to beat out Pacers' guard Andrew Nembhard by 19 points, his twin brother Ausar Thompson by 41, and forwards Deni Avdija and Jalen Johnson by 45.

The Rockets will kick off their preseason against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 6, and that could give a great indication as to where Thompson is at in his developmental process. They'll kick the regular season off with a bout against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 21.

This article first appeared on Houston Rockets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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