Rockets Young Guard Amen Thompson May Be Ready For Major Breakout 2026 Campaign

The Houston Rockets have had a great start to the 2026 season as they have started 3-0, and in each game, there have been great signs that suggest that this team could really be a true Western Conference contender.

One of those great signs has been the strong start from young guard Amen Thompson, who has made plenty of great plays on both ends, with the highlight being his game-clinching block on San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in the Rockets' second game of the year.

Speaking on Thompson, ESPN senior NBA writer Ben Golliver wrote a piece on NBA breakout tiers: 30 players ready for the next step, and on that list, Golliver included Thompson in tier 3: standout to all-star?

Taking a deeper look at Golliver, including Thompson in tier 3, Golliver noted that Thompson is just 23 years old and that he was able to have a solid showing in 2025, which enabled him to sign a five-year, $208 million extension in the summer, which demonstrated the type of player that Houston believes Thompson to be.

Additionally, Golliver also mentioned that Thompson was thrown into having to do a lot of playmaking in 2025 with veteran guard Fred VanVleet out for the entire year due to injury, which was not necessarily Thompson's strength, and he did a decent job in that role. However, now VanVleet is now back and has been able to do a great job playmaking which has given Thompson the ability to play more free and utilize his strengths more.

With that said, let's take a look at Thompson's stats so far this season. To this point in 2026, Thompson is averaging 17.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game, which are all solid numbers. In terms of shooting, Thompson has been quite efficient, shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and 86.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Looking at the stats from Thompson it is clear that he has been able to play a lot more to his strengths which has no doubt helped him to be very efficient, score in ways that maximize his strengths, and continue to thrive on the defensive side as a rebounder, perimeter defender, and with his ability to contest shots all over the floor.

Based on Thompson's strong start, it is no surprise that Golliver included him on this list, but also when Thompson has been able to lean on his strengths, he has been incredible and has been able to flash his all-star potential, but also that he his arguably one of the best defenders at the guard position in the entire NBA.

Obviously a three-game sample size is not a lot, but Thompson has really stood out thus far and if he can maintain close to this level of play throughout this season, there is no question that he can earn his first All-star selection as well as maybe even his second All-defensive team selection.

So, moving forward, if Thompson can continue to utilize his strengths on offense and continue to show his high-level ability on defense, he could very well earn his first All-Star appearance, his second All-Defensive Team appearance, as well as maybe make an argument to be selected to an All-NBA team, which would be a major step for him and for what the Rockets could accomplish as a team.

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