Amen Thompson Is An Underrated Most Improved Player Candidate

Each season the NBA has a host of awards to honor players for their year-long performances. From Rookie of the Year to Most Valuable Player, these can hold a lot of weight throughout the league. It’s no surprise that the betting on these kinds of awards starts early, and members of the Houston Rockets can be found all over the place. 

When venturing through different betting sites and articles focused on these awards, Amen Thompson’s name is surprisingly low on one of these lists. Low, meaning people around the world are doubting him. That’s never good. 

While it’s not directly doubting him, FanDuel currently has his odds at +7000 to win Most Improved Player of the Year. There are literally dozens of guys ahead of him, with his twin brother Ausar near the top at +1600. That’s somewhat understandable with Jalen Duren’s instability for the Detroit Pistons, but there’s plenty of puzzling names ahead of Amen. 

I was even surprised to see Jabari Smith Jr. having the same odds as Amen Thompson, but things get stranger over on DraftKings. Thompson has an even higher payout there, with odds of +7500. I  find that baffling, considering Jase Richardson of the Orlando Magic is +6000. So is Jabari Smith Jr. 

No disrespect to any of those other guys, but Houston’s twin is more likely to have a breakout season. He just signed a massive extension, as discussed here on Roundtable, and the team has put a lot of faith in him. Houston is dedicated to seeing him succeed. 

Not to mention, the front office has made it clear that he’s the closest thing to “untouchable” on this current roster. To me, that means Alperen Şengün would be on the move before Thompson. And if things don’t work out quickly this season, that could be sooner rather than later. 

Everybody and their mother knows the Rockets struggled with shooting threes last season. They were a middle-of-the-pack team based on percentage, but attempted the third-fewest per game, according to TeamRankings. 

While adding willing shooters like Marcus Smart, Fred VanVleet, and Bogdan Bogdanovic to the lineup will help increase the overall volume, the stars and future of this franchise have to be compatible moving forward. 

Not only are Thompson and Şengün below average from beyond the arc, but they were also two of the top ten worst mid-range shooters in the league as well. We previously dove into that here on Roundtable. 

If neither player makes improvements in their ability to score and impact the game from outside of the paint, then a trade may be in order. Depending on what the return is, Amen Thompson should be a complete focal point of this team with Şengün out the door. 

In that event, I don’t see why Amen couldn’t become the second All-Star in Houston, though; I don’t think anyone is surpassing Durant any time soon. To me, it’s worth putting down five dollars to win three hundred, but I am no financial advisor. 

You can reach free, confidential, and 24/7 support for problem gambling by calling or texting the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-522-4700

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