"They can't guard you" - Amen Thompson shares how Kevin Durant empowers young Rockets players

The Houston Rockets have been one of the best teams in the league so far this season, and a lot of that can be attributed to Kevin Durant and the experience he brought to the team's young core. Particularly to Amen Thompson, who has been thrust into the Rockets' starting point guard position after Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL in the offseason.

Concerns were immediately raised about Thompson's playmaking and ability to run the offense, but the young guard has stepped up to the challenge.

Almost all of Thompson's numbers this season have increased from previous years. The former fourth overall pick is averaging his career-high in points per game with 17.9, and has also increased his assist numbers from 3.8 to 5.2 per game while maintaining his trademark aggression on the defensive end.

The new role comes with new responsibilities and Thompson has looked eager to deliver — thanks in large part, he said, to the confidence Durant instills in him.

"It's definitely been new to figure out. You see KD, you know he can score on anybody. You just want to give him the ball, let him go get a bucket. But he's like very empowering on, when he's being denied, he's telling me, 'Just go, go. They can't guard you,'" said Thompson during an interview with Taylor Rooks.

It's not just Thompson who has benefited from KD's renewed enthusiasm this season. Alperen Sengun has also transformed into one of the league's most versatile big men, averaging career highs in points and assists per game so far.

Thompson's newfound confidence

Aside from Durant, Houston's coaches have also shown their trust in the 22-year-old. The coaching staff has given Thompson the keys to the offense, compounded by the increase in the guard's usage percentage from 17.5 to 21.2.

"My coach, Ben Sullivan, was telling me, 'You're not going to be Fred. You've got to be your own guy.' Like trying to figure out what my own guy is at that position," Thompson said on what he worked on after becoming the team's lead guard.

The 22-year-old has repaid his coaches' belief in him by also lowering his turnover percentage to 12.5, just below the league average.

"This year has just put me in a lot of positions where I've been uncomfortable, and I write a lot of my goals, and one of the things I wrote down was to try to be you even when it's uncomfortable, lead even when it's uncomfortable. I feel like I'm getting better at that," Thompson continued.

After VanVleet went down, many fans believed that the Rockets' offense would become stagnant. However, Thompson has shown potential that he can equal — or even be better than — VanVleet for the Rockets. His pace and athleticism enable him to be a threat on the perimeter and inside, as highlighted in the Rockets' previous two games against the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, where he led the team in scoring with 22 and 28 points, respectively.

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The future is bright in Houston

The Rockets boast the best offense in the league so far this season, which has resulted in an 11-4 record in a stacked Western Conference.

With Thompson showing great strides in his offensive game and Sengun transforming into a premier modern big man, the Rockets are increasingly closer to becoming one of the few teams that can threaten the Oklahoma City Thunder's reign.

After all, it took the defending champions two overtime periods to take down the Rockets in the season opener.

The future in Houston is bright, and it will revolve around how quickly the team's young core can develop further, as well as Durant maintaining his health and lethal scoring capabilities for one last shot at a ring.

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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.