Amen Thompson has hit the basketball world by storm just after two whole seasons in the league. Experts already believe that he could challenge the former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama as the best player from the 2023 NBA Draft Class, and some even believe he could surpass him as the best two-way player in the NBA.
ESPN already ranked Victor Wembanyama as a Top-5 player in the NBA right now. But their GM survey also ranked Amen Thompson as the most versatile defender and potentially the most likely player to have a breakout season in 2025-26.
Their analysts, the former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins and NBA Insider Bobby Marks, both rate Thompson very highly. Perkins even believes that Amen Thompson could challenge Wembanyama in a few seasons as the best two-way player in the NBA. While assessing the Rockets’ situation, the duo discussed Amen Thompson on ESPN’s NBA Today.
“He’s going to be the breakout star this year. An efficient nine field goals made. A lot around the rim. We’re probably going to wait and see if maybe that jump shot is developed. But yeah, this Houston team is a must-see league pass when we get going for this regular season,” said Marks on NBA Today.
“I believe they’re going to be the best offensive team in the league. They had 32 assists last night, 68 paint points, and 13 dunks. They’re going to get out and run,” said Perkins while speaking highly of the Rockets’ offense.
“But they’re going to get stops, and it’s going to be led by their best defender in Amen Thompson, who I believe is going to challenge Victor Wimbenyama in the next few years as the best two-way player in the game,” said Perkins while emphasizing the importance of having a two-way player like Amen Thompson.
“It’s solely instincts. Look at him. He’s supposed to be at the nail. Active hands getting out in transition. Speed, quickness, IQ…. This man is going to be special, and he’s going to challenge Victor in a few years on who’s the best two-way player in the game,” concluded Perkins while reviewing Thompson’s highlights from the Rockets’ 140-127 win against the Jazz.
Thompson played 69 games for the Rockets last season (2024-25) while cementing his role as a starter. He averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 55.7% from the field. He also averaged 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game last season. His major drawback, like Marks said, is a consistent jumpshot, which we have seen he worked on in the summer. Moreover, he shot only 27.5% from beyond the three-point arc last season.
Therefore, if he develops a consistent jumpshot over time, there is no ceiling on what Thompson could achieve with the Rockets in his career. But without a consistent jumpshot, I doubt he will be considered the best two-way player in the league at some point in his career. There is no use in comparing him to players like Michael Jordan and Victor Wembanyama if he fails to develop a consistent jumpshot eventually.
Considering that Thompson had been a guard all his career before Ime Udoka turned him into a forward, maybe the next evolution of his game will come if he returns to the original position he started playing in the game in the first place. With Fred VanVleet out for the season, Thompson will have the opportunity, alongside Reed Sheppard at the point guard position, to take that evolutionary leap this season in his game.
