'He's a dawg': Why Rockets should build around Amen Thompson, not Jalen Green 

Houston won 52 games, led the league in rebounding and finished as the No. 2 seed in the ever-competitive Western Conference this season. The Rockets also produced their first All-Star, Alperen Sengun, since the 2020 selections of James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Despite these achievements, Houston's biggest takeaway this season was the development of budding two-way star Amen Thompson, who established himself as a franchise cornerstone this postseason. The 6-foot-7 forward proved to be a player more worthy of building around than his touted teammate, guard Jalen Green.

During the Rockets' conference quarterfinals loss to Golden State in seven games, Thompson's immense potential was on full display. 

Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and twin brother of Pistons forward Ausar Thompson, ranked in the top three on the Rockets in points (15.7), rebounds (6.9), assists (3.3), steals (1.7) and blocks (0.9) during the postseason. Impressively, the second-year player also was the primary defender against Steph Curry, who lauded his effort after the series. 

"He’s a dawg. He showed [that] all seven games, and he’s gonna be a problem, for sure," Curry told reporters. "I know he’s been trying to develop his game, especially offensively. But defensively, he’s a freak athlete, and I think he loves the challenge and loves to be in the fight."

From the moment he was drafted, expectations were high for Thompson because of his relentless motor and unparalleled athleticism.

In his debut playoff series, Thompson proved why he was the fourth overall draft pick. On offense, the talented twin probed the floor as a slasher, scoring timely baskets around the rim. Defensively, Thompson served a Swiss army knife role for Houston, taking on assignments against guards and wing players.

“When I coached Kyrie [Irving, in Brooklyn], you would be wowed at something he did offensively every night,” Rockets HC Ime Udoka told SI's Chris Mannix. “It’s the same thing with Amen on the defensive end. You can’t teach what he does.”