Houston Shock Claim: Rockets Drop Jaw-Dropping Talent Revelation, Secret Weapon More Explosive Than Amen Thompson

The Houston Rockets, unlike a lot of teams in the Western Conference, have their eyes set on success long after this season.

The Western Conference, it would seem, is full of teams desperate to make the most of what little time they have left. The Golden State Warriors core is aging, LeBron James is 40 years old, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets might be running out of time, and the Los Angeles Clippers are built around two stars on the wrong side of 35.

However, the surging Houston Rockets, who currently hold the second seed, have nothing but time. Youngsters Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. are only getting better, and the team has the means to make a massive move this offseason if they so choose.

The Rockets are ahead of schedule, and success this season is not as important as sustained success down the road.

Rockets can build a variety of ways

Houston has the expendable salary and draft picks to make a massive trade and is one of the frontrunners to land Kevin Durant this offseason from the Phoenix Suns. However, Houston hasn’t made a clear choice regarding which of their budding stars they want to build with, and this spring will be a litmus test of sorts.

“You got to look at them with a big picture view,” said ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on The Hoops Collective podcast.

“The great thing about them competing for this seeding right now, and they’re going to be a playoff team, is that their young guys are going to get experience. And it’s a phenomenal chance to be able to evaluate those young guys.”

Rising stars like Green and Sengun have been unable to prove themselves as playoff performers and the Rockets will need to get a sense of their identity before they can make any lasting choices.

“A lot of this is like, ‘Hey, is that star potentially already on the roster? Is that number one guy that they can build around, the kind of guy you need to be able to contend for a championship? Is that on the roster?’” MacMahon explained.

Houston’s offseason options run deeper than expected

While the Rockets look poised to hand the keys to the franchise to Sengun or Green, their alleged best player hasn’t even been given much of a chance. Rookie Reed Sheppard, who was picked third overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, has been buried on the depth chart and injured. In his lone college season at Kentucky, the undersized guard shot 52.1% from 3-point range.

Even with his defensive concerns and lack of size, shooting over 50% with a 48-inch vertical leap is enough to find some NBA success, and the Rockets are eager to see what he brings to the table.

“They’ll tell you that maybe their most talented offensive player is Reed Shepard,” MacMahon continued.

“He’s hurt now, but he’s not a rotation player. They still think he has a chance. Somebody there asked me about Amen Thompson, who obviously, he’s going to be a star. Can he be that offensive engine? They said, ‘Tell me what Russell Westbrook at his peak could do that this kid doesn’t have a chance to do.’ It’s an interesting question.”

With both Sheppard and Thompson not even close to their ceilings, the Rockets, it would seem, could just bide their time this summer and not make any move, instead holding the line and giving the core another year together.

It’s clear how highly the Rockets rate Thompson. And to consider that they believe Sheppard could have an even higher offensive upside, that bodes extremely well for the future.