The Rockets are heading into next season with only one clearly rotation-level guard on the roster. They could get lucky with a leap from second-year player Reed Sheppard. They may also benefit from another solid backup role season from Aaron Holiday. The best-case scenario for Houston, however, would be getting an actual guard season from their promising All-Defense star, Amen Thompson.
Can Young Star Solve The Rockets’ Issues At Guard?
Thompson averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game in 2024-25. 2025-26 will be his first whole season as a full-time starter. Listed at small forward, there’s no question of whether he can play guard defensively. He memorably helped hold superstar Stephen Curry to 3 points in a clash last season. He also drew the assignment in the playoffs. While Golden State prevailed in that series, Thompson’s defense on Curry was a major issue for the San Franciscans.
Thompson will have his hands full again on opening night. The Rockets will play the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to tip off the 2025-26 NBA season. Thompson will even get a shot at in-shape Luka Doncic on Christmas Day.
But none of the question marks around Thompson or the Rockets have anything to do with defense this season. Everybody knows that Thompson can guard point guards. But can he provide much-needed point guard skills at the other end?
The Rockets’ Need at Guard
Fred VanVleet will start at point guard again for Houston in 2025-26. Offensively, he’s among the most limited starting point guards in the league. He makes up for that by being a limitlessly irritating presence on defense. VanVleet may look like the odd man out among Houston’s scrum of huge defensive wings. His actual defensive impact, however, remains exceptional. He’s the tip of the spear and a vital organising presence. Head coach Ime Udoka has specifically cited VanVleet’s defense as a key reason for keeping him on the floor even through poor shooting performances.
And there have been many poor shooting performances. Offensively, VanVleet is overtaxed in a lead guard role. Last season, he was second on the Rockets in shots off the dribble at 6.5 per game. Only the erratically exceptional Jalen Green attempted more at 7.8. VanVleet was actually the more efficient of the two, but still only made 35.4% of his attempts, and only 31.5% of 4.0 pull-up three-pointers.
Another Possible Guardian Angel
The arrival of Kevin Durant will certainly help to improve Houston’s pull-up efficiency. Durant shot 49.4% on pull-ups in 2024-25. That was good for sixth among players attempting at least one such shot per game, and Durant’s 8.2 per game dwarfs everyone ahead of him.
Durant will probably have to be relied on as Houston’s primary perimeter creator in the half-court. It may wind up reminiscent of his OKC days, surrounded by burly defenders but very little shooting. Back then, he still had the burst to get by defenders when they overplayed his shooting ability. In 2025-26, such an offense may look less appealing. VanVleet can help as a set-up man, but the team needs someone who can actually drive the lane.
That could be where Thompson comes in. Thompson attempted only 1.4 pull-up shots per game in 2024-25. Of the 0.2 of those that were threes, he shot just 15.4%. Nobody should expect pull-up jump shooting ever to be a huge part of Thompson’s game. If Thompson and the Rockets are interested in re-imagining him as a guard, they should probably focus on some of his other skills.
Thompson’s Guard Skills
Thompson is a good passer. He’s not an elite one, but his passing acumen could grow with the right opportunities. His 3.8 assists per game were third on the team last season. That was ahead of Green in the team’s primary perimeter creator role, for instance. He has good vision and a reasonable variety of deliveries in his arsenal. The problem is that he’s only really a threat with the ball in his hands in transition.
Thompson’s interior finishing game is exceptional. His handle is decent for his size as well. When combined with his outlier athleticism, it gives him the basis for a strong driving game. But Thompson’s own lack of shooting ability is compounded by a general lack of spacing throughout the roster. The Rockets did add Dorian Finney-Smith as a 3-and-D replacement for Dillon Brooks. Jabari Smith Jr. provides a limited degree of spacing at the power forward position as well.
The main spacing issue the Rockets have is that their two young cornerstones are both essentially non-shooters. All-Star center Alperen Sengun is a wizard with the ball in his hands. His interior scoring efficiency should enjoy a bounce-back year playing alongside Durant as well. His outside shooting efficiency has nowhere to bounce back to, though.
The Thompson and Sengun Dynamic
Swapping Green for Durant makes the Rockets’ Thompson and Sengun partnership more palatable. It doesn’t change the fact that the foundational ingredients are a weird combination. It’s difficult to keep up with modern NBA offenses while fielding two non-shooters.
If the Rockets want to feature Thompson as a half-court creator on offense, one of two things would need to happen. One would be significant self-improvement on Thompson’s part. Better shooting would certainly be nice, but better ball-handling might be more achievable and would go a long way as well. Naturally, this would be the ideal outcome for Thompson and the Rockets. Self-improvement is what every NBA player is striving for, whether it’s in year three or year thirteen.
Alternatively, the Rockets could pivot away from their jumbo ball philosophy. They could stop leaning on double-big lineups, encourage Sengun to develop as more of a pick-and-pop threat, or even experiment with small-ball lineups featuring Smith or Durant at the five. Anything that gives Thompson more space to operate as an on-ball homing missile towards the rim. But none of that is likely to happen under Udoka’s watch, perhaps nor should it.
The Last Word
The Rockets are building something unique in Houston. They’re going all-in on size and defense. Whether you want to try to pass him off as a point guard or not, those are two things that Thompson has in abundance. Rockets fans are justifiably excited about the season ahead and don’t look in for a letdown. As for the rest of the league, when it comes to these gargantuan Rockets, they better not let their guard down.
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