The Houston Rockets have been stress-testing the concept of the point guard for a long time.
Astute Dream Shakers will know that I’ve taken this angle before. Let’s speed run it. Mike D’Antoni moved James Harden from the two to the one. Harden left, and Kevin Porter Jr. larked as a point guard for a while. When it was time to be serious, the Rockets brought in Fred VanVleet, who is as undeniably a point guard as epistemologically possible.
VanVleet gets hurt for the year. Back to square one. We’re finding out if a non-point guard is a point guard again. This time, it’s Amen Thompson. There’s only one question left:
How did it go?
Thompson’s future is bright but unclear
Statistically, Thompson’s 2025-26 season is a bit difficult to parse out.
The basic counting stats all improved with increased volume. Thompson averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game to last season’s 14.1, 8.3, and 3.8. Yet, his Box Plus/Minus (BPM) dropped from 4.1 to 2.6.
There’s a statistical explanation that aligns with the eye test. Thompson’s stocks (steals and blocks, not financial measurements) dropped. That affects his metrics.
There were a couple of reasons why that happened. With Dillon Brooks gone, Thompson was responsible for guarding the other team’s best player more frequently. That gives him less leeway for defensive playmaking. Yet, it also felt like he had to conserve some effort for his increased offensive responsibility. Thompson has never taken a defensive possession off in his life, but he wasn’t as relentless a ball hawk in 2025-26.
Was that trade-off worthwhile? The numbers lean no. Thompson’s 0.98 Points Per Possession (PPP) in isolation were in the league’s 68.2nd percentile. His 0.89 PPP as a pick-and-roll ball-handler landed in the 61st percentile.
How else do we measure point guard-y-ness? Thompson’s 23.1% Assist Ratio was 44th in the NBA. That’s a fine percentage in general, but it’s lower than most marquee point guards.
In fact, that’s broadly true for most of these numbers. They’re great if you look at Thompson as a tertiary ball-handler + perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. They’re considerably weaker if he’s your starting point guard.
So, it would be extreme to call his season a failure. Thompson demonstrated some capacity to increase his offensive workload. Yet, this front office should also be realizing that Thompson is closer to (if you’ll forgive imperfect historical comparisons) supercharged Andre Igoudala than he is Penny Hardaway. They should view him as a cornerstone, but he’ll be able to maximize his impact alongside a primary ball-handler:
Unless the Rockets reinvent the position (again).
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