The Houston Rockets have been one of the hottest teams in the entire NBA and Amen Thompson has been a huge part of their success. The Rockets are 7-1 and currently sit first in the Western Conference standings. The Rockets have one of the most complete teams in the NBA and Thompson is one of their rising stars.
Thompson has improved each of his three NBA seasons, and he's off to a good start this year. Everyone knows what his weakness is and that's perimeter shooting. He's currently shooting 28% from three point range which is not great at all, but he's also shooting a very solid 53% from the field.
Thompson's perimeter shooting does remain a big issue, teams will dare him to take those shots and live with the results. He's not taking a ton of threes to begin with, but should he cut back even more?Outside of shooting, he does a lot of things well offensively. He's also an elite defender, an incredible athlete and great rebounder. He's playing to his strengths mainly, which is part of the reason why the Rockets are winnig. We asked our Rockets On SI writers whether Thompson's perimeter shooting is a legitimate concern moving forward.
In this context, Thompson's perimeter shooting remains a big issue - especially in a playoff setting. Thompson has never shot above 28 percent from three over a full season, and as one of Houston's premier ballhandlers, that's an issue.
He offsets some of those struggles with athleticism in the open court, passing, and his multipositional versatility defensively. He's a freak athlete. Though Thompson has essentially made no improvements as a jump shooter beyond 10-15 feet, and his handle has regressed in tight spaces. His ceiling as a playmaker is limited if he can't be a viable shooter, and if that doesn't improve now, then when will it?
While Amen Thompson's shooting could certainly improve, it is not an issue that is hindering this Rockets team. Houston is 7-1 and Thompson is playing to his strengths, attacking the rim with high volume and succeeding with high efficiency. Thompson needs to continue doing what he is doing on both sides of the floor and the analytics back it up. Thomspon is creating 25.9 points per night for the Rockets while still being one of the NBA's best defenders. An improved shot would be a huge benefit to him and the Rockets but it is not an issue.
This isn't an acute problem.... now. The Rockets should be fine in the regular season with Thompson shooting sub-30 percent from three, as long as the volume isn't too great, and others are picking up the slack.
Where this could become stifling is the playoffs, when opponents have more time to prepare, and will send help to others and leave Thompson with looks that aren't ideal. It's rare, in the modern age, when you can win big if you have someone in your wing or guard rotation who can't shoot at all. Defenses are too connected, and too advanced.
So he will need to make a big one.... eventually.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/rockets/onsi as Is Amen Thompson's Perimeter Shooting a Concern for the Rockets? .
