This is the first installment in our 2026 series examining players who are prime candidates for rookie scale contract extensions. This series will explore the player’s strengths and weaknesses and evaluate what a fair deal between the player and his team might look like.
The fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft after bypassing college in lieu of playing for the Overtime Elite league, Amen Thompson got off to a relatively slow start as a rookie in 2023/24, suffering an ankle injury in his fourth game and proceeding to miss 19 of his next 20 contests.
Through his first 30 appearances, the California native showed flashes of the special athleticism, talent and skills that made him a high lottery pick, averaging 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in just 16.7 minutes per game while shooting 48.8% from the field.
However, there was a major shift around the February 2024 trade deadline, as Thompson received far more playing time down the stretch as a rookie. He responded by averaging 12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 27.6 MPG while shooting 56.3% from the floor across 32 outings.
The Rockets had won just 17, 20 and 22 games in the three seasons leading up to Thompson’s rookie campaign. But they went 41-41 in his first season, including a 30-32 mark when he was active.
Thompson built upon the second-half success he found as a rookie in year two, averaging 14.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG and 1.3 BPG on 55.7% shooting in 69 games, including 42 starts (32.2 MPG). Notably, he finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned a spot on the All-Defensive first team.
Houston improved to 52-30 in 2024/25 and entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The team lost its first-round matchup against Golden State in seven games, with Thompson averaging 15.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.7 SPG and 0.9 BPG on 49.4% shooting in 33.1 MPG.
In the wake of a torn ACL to Fred VanVleet, Thompson was asked to initiate the offense far more often in 2025/26. He became a full-time starter as well, leading the NBA in total minutes (2,953; Kevin Durant was second at 2,840, while Jabari Smith Jr. was fifth with 2,705) and ranking second behind Tyrese Maxey (38.0) in minutes per game with 37.4.
Thompson averaged 18.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.5 SPG and 0.6 SPG on 53.4% shooting in 79 games last season. He played a critical role in the Rockets repeating repeating their 52-30 record, which was good for the fifth seed in the West and a first-round matchup against the Lakers. Houston lost that series in six games, with Thompson averaging 19.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.2 BPG on 48.8% shooting in 44.0(!) MPG.
