NBA
Houston’s Amen Thompson is expected to start at point guard in 2025-26
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated5 hours ago on October 08, 2025
Entering his third professional season, Amen Thompson is set to take on a new role. Houston’s veteran PG Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL before the 2025-26 season started.
He underwent successful surgery in late September and will miss the entire year for the Rockets. VanVleet’s 5.6 assists per game led the team in 2024-25. For the upcoming season, Houston is taking a non-traditional route at point guard. Amen Thompson has been the starting SF in each of his first two years. However, Thompson is ready to show just how versatile he is on the court. The 22-year-old is expected to start at PG in 2025-26.
Amen Thompson will play any role the Rockets ask of him
Amen Thompson: “I love playing point but I love winning too. If I gotta play small forward, power forward, center to win? I’ll do it.”#AllFire 🚀 pic.twitter.com/ptf8XaSSQ9
— COACH (@RocketsCulture) October 6, 2025
In the 2023 NBA draft, the Rockets used the fourth overall pick to select Amen Thompson. Over two seasons, he’s developed into a rising star in the league. During his 2024-25 campaign, Thompson averaged a career-high 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. Additionally, he appeared in 69 games and made 45 starts for Houston. At the end of the year, Amen Thompson was voted All-Defensive first-team.
Thompson has played a forward role for the majority of his time with the Rockets. However, there have been times when Thompson has taken on ball-handling duties for Houston. That role could expand in the 2025-26 season with injuries on the Rockets’ roster. Veteran PG Fred VanVleet is set to miss the entire season due to a torn ACL. Amen Thompson is expected to start at PG in the upcoming season.
Point guard Amen Thompson 👀 pic.twitter.com/9hFdFDjzZw
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 7, 2025
In high school, Amen Thompson played a point guard/wing player role. He has experience handling the ball and controlling the offense. Due to his size and athleticism, the Rockets ask him to play as a forward. That will not be the case in 2025-26. Thompson is expected to be their starting PG. Head coach Ime Udoka said several players will have a ball-handling role in the upcoming season.
He explained that Reed Sheppard could see more playing time in 2025-26. The third overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft saw limited playing time as a rookie. Last season, Sheppard appeared in 57 games and made three starts for Houston. He averaged 12.6 minutes per game. In 2025-26, Reed Sheppard will benefit from Fred VanVleet being out. Ime Udoka also mentioned their all-star center, Alperen Sengun, as someone who can initiate the offense.
