The Houston Rockets fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night in a double overtime thriller.
In a game that featured many clutch baskets and three players fouling out, it was Alperen Şengün who led all scorers with 39 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
Kevin Durant added 23 points, and Amen Thompson had 18 despite his struggles from three.
When the Rockets lost Fred VanVleet to a season-ending ACL injury, they were left with a massive hole at their starting point guard spot.
Head Coach Ime Udoka rolled out a lineup where 6-foot-7 Thompson was the primary ball handler, making him the shortest player in their starting lineup.
Thompson may be one of the most athletic players in league history, but the problem is that every team knows that.
In a game like Tuesday’s against the Thunder, who have an elite defense, the game plan was to seemingly back off from Thompson, giving him space to shoot.
Now that he is transitioning to be the facilitator, he is forced to take these shots.
He relies so much on his athleticism and slashing ability that when he normally lines up as a wing, he doesn’t need to worry much about shooting.
Things are different now.
It’s safe to say that Amen is a decent jumpshot away from becoming a star in this league.
As a 21-year-old, he made the All-Defensive first team, and he can disrupt almost any offense when he chooses to.
Right now, it’s the jumper that’s concerning.
Although Şengün connected on a career-high five threes, they shouldn’t rely on him doing that every game.
Durant prefers the mid-range, and Steven Adams has no floor-spacing ability.
So even though Thompson wasn’t able to knock down any threes, it is a good sign that he is willing to take them if he is open.
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