Suns veteran Dillon Brooks on rising Rockets star Amen Thompson: “His growth has been tremendous. He knows how to score in the paint, and he guards the best player every night.”
After posting a 60.2% true shooting (TS) percentage during the 2024-25 NBA season, Rockets guard Amen Thompson saw that figure drop to 54.8% in the first month of 2025-26.
But in recent days, there have been positive signs that Houston’s talented third-year prospect is on the rise again.
In his last two contests against Denver and Phoenix, Thompson has averaged 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 58.8% overall (66.6% TS) and 100% on free throws.
One person who likely noticed this surge was veteran Suns forward Dillon Brooks, who was teammates with Thompson the past two seasons in Houston.
When asked about the 22-year-old after Monday’s win, Brooks said (via Shane Young, Suns.com):
He is a great player. You can’t let him get to his right hand, that’s his strong point. Then, if you keep supporting him, he will jump over you.
His growth has been tremendous. He was a great player for all the years I was there, and still is. And he’s a two-way player. He knows how to score in the paint, and he guards the best player every night.
Brooks has long been known as one of the NBA’s most tenacious defenders, so his support of Thompson’s play – and on both ends of the court – is certainly worth noting. Brooks was traded to Phoenix as part of the 2025 offseason blockbuster that brought Kevin Durant to Houston.
As for Thompson, despite some decline in efficiency numbers, his net rating differential is currently the highest of any individual player on the Rockets. For the season, Houston is +10.3 when Thompson is on the floor.
Thompson was drafted by the Rockets at No. 4 overall in the 2023 first round, and Brooks was a team leader and mentor in Thompson’s first two NBA seasons. Therefore, the veteran probably deserves at least a little credit for the protégé’s development.
With Thompson playing a leading role, the 2025-26 Rockets (11-4) enter Wednesday’s game at Golden State with 11 wins in their last 13 games. Rockets-Warriors tipoff is at 9:00 pm Central, and the game will be televised to a national audience on ESPN.
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