Amen Thompson should be there this Monday evening, for the Texan derby and the first of Victor Wembanyama on the Rockets floor.
Affected in the right ankle since November 1, the Houston rookie was able to take advantage of two G-League games to get back on track (21.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists on average) before returning to the first team on Sunday , in training, in preparation for tonight's match against San Antonio.
Amen Thompson is “a good student”
” It was good. I got back in shape, I got my confidence back, I was able to run on the field, remember the patterns of play and all that, so it was good”, he said yesterday. “I'm happy to be back. I'm working hard to try to get back to where I was, and I feel like I'm finally there. I feel very good “.
Ime Udoka, for his part, underlined the investment of the rookie, who remained close to the group even when he was injured and in rehabilitation. Enough to facilitate his reintegration into the Texan collective.
“He got involved and focused on what we want to do”added Ime Udoka. “He was there at every practice, and wasn't doing rehab during our practices, so he didn't miss a single thing of what we added offensively and defensively. We do little tests here and there to make sure he's got the hang of it and understands what we're trying to do. He succeeded in everything. He’s a good student, even though he didn’t go to college.”
An association with Aaron Holiday in sight
Like his twin Ausar at the Pistons, Amen Thompson will bring his aggressiveness, his versatility and his opportunism to Ime Udoka's group. The latter is committed to trying to find minutes for him, why not alongside Aaron Holiday to partner him on the outside positions. This is also what Holiday mentioned this week.
“The objective is to reintegrate him into the team. Obviously we have players who are playing well, so we need to find minutes and opportunities, and we will change our rotation once we get him into some groups.”continued Ime Udoka, before mentioning a possible association with Aaron Holiday. “I think those two would make a great duo. Amen can obviously defend in several positions. Aaron is very good at taking guys off-road. And although Aaron also knows how to defend, he is also very good offensively without the ball thanks to his outside skill. They are very complementary. They fit in perfectly with all the groups we have.”
| Amen Thompson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | HOU | 4 | 17 | 40.9 | 18.2 | 62.5 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 6.3 |
| Total | 4 | 17 | 40.9 | 18.2 | 62.5 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 6.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
