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“That dude is special,” Warriors forward Draymond Green says of Houston’s Amen Thompson. “One of one,” adds Rockets teammate Fred VanVleet.
HOUSTON — As Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green stood outside the visiting locker room at Toyota Center, fresh off a Game 7 victory over the Rockets to eliminate them from the 2025 NBA playoffs, I asked a question that made his face light up.
“Mr. Green, can I ask you about Amen Thompson?”
He immediately approached me and a photographer without hesitation and said, “That dude is special. He reminds me of a younger version of myself defensively, but he is way more athletic. That dude is special, and he is going to be trouble for a very long time in this league.”
On Thursday, Thompson — along with Green, Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers), Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks), and Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder) — was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the 2024-25 season. He became the fifth player in the Rockets franchise history to be named to an All-Defensive First Team, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (five times), Rodney McCray, Scottie Pippen, and Patrick Beverley.
“Amen, coming in and bringing his dog mentality,” teammate Jalen Green said of how Thompson’s defensive presence helped the team this season. “I think he has helped boost everybody’s confidence, just knowing he is going to be able to lock somebody down.”
Thompson, who was drafted by the Rockets with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 first round, garnered praise from his colleagues and opposing coaches for his approach on the defensive side of the ball — where he can defend any position on the court.
Thompson’s presence helped the Rockets hold their opponents sixth-fewest points this season (109.9) and the sixth-lowest shooting percentage (45.9%) from the field. Among individuals, Thompson had the NBA’s lowest defensive field-goal percentage (40.7%) for players with more than 10 games played who defended at least 9.0 shots per game. He also ranked 10th in defensive rating (107.9) for players who averaged at least 30.0 minutes played.
“He is one of one,” point guard Fred VanVleet told Rockets Wire when asked about Thompson. “He impacts the game on a level like… Kawhi (Leonard) is the closest thing I can think of, in terms of just shutting down half of the court.
“Being a terror, being a guy you want to stay away from. Amen is in a league of his own other than obviously his brother (Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons). The way he flies around, being able to guard one through five, he is a special talent.”
Thompson is one of only a select few players in NBA history to make an All-Defensive First Team at 22 or younger and within his first two professional seasons.
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