Still not out of his comfort zone! The Rockets backcourt star is still not a qualified point guard

In the previous NBA regular season, the Houston Rockets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies at home 124-109. After this game, the Rockets, who had won 5 consecutive games, improved their record to 5-2, and their ranking rose to 3rd in the Western Conference; the Grizzlies, who suffered 4 consecutive losses, saw their record drop to 3-6, and their ranking fell to 13th in the Western Conference.

In this game, the Rockets' starting point guard Amen Thompson showed his own characteristics, but his playing style can obviously be more optimized. Amen played for 38 minutes and 50 seconds, shooting 13 of 26, 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 1 free throw. He scored a game-high 28 points, plus 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals, a quasi-triple-double. He also had 3 turnovers and 3 fouls, with a plus-minus of +22. Amen did score a lot of points on the offensive end, and he did bring out his impact and explosive power. However, there are still some problems with his offensive choices. He still did not have very good results in terms of passing and organization. This is actually not an ideal performance for a point guard. Of course, Amen also played a good role on the defensive end, and he also played to his defensive advantages. Overall, Amen's performance is pretty good, but he still doesn't seem to have adapted to the role of starting point guard.

In the NBA regular season last season, Amen was affected by injuries in 82 games and played a total of 69 times, averaging 32.2 minutes per game and 14.1 per game. Points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 2.4 fouls, shooting 55.7% from the field, 27.5% from the three-point range, 68.4% from the free throw line, and a plus-minus of +3.9. In the playoffs, Amen played a total of 7 times, averaging 33 minutes per game. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He also had 1.7 turnovers and 2.6 fouls. He shot 49.4% from the field, 25% from the three-point range, and 69.4% from the free throw line. Since the start of this season, Amen has averaged 34.9 minutes per game in the first 7 games, averaging 18.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1 steal, and 0.3 blocks per game. He also has 2.6 turnovers and 2.7 fouls. He has shot 50% from the field, 17.6% from the three-point range, and 67.6% from the free throw line.

With Fred VanVleet out for the season, Amen became the team's starting point guard this season. Amen has indeed improved significantly in terms of statistics, but this is actually closely related to his improvement in playing time and ball ownership. Judging from Amen's performance, his progress is actually relatively limited. He still has not solved his shortcomings in outside shooting, and he still has not improved his passing and organizational skills. He still relies on his advantages in physical talent and athletic ability to cause trouble for his opponents. In recent games, the Rockets' opponents are indeed of average strength, which is also an important factor in the team's winning streak. When facing stronger opponents next, whether Amen's style of play will work is also a big question mark.