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January 15, 2025 • 7 mins
Jalen Green tied his career high with 42 points in Monday's 120-118 comeback win against the Memphis Grizzlies, but that does not overshadow the performance of Amen Thompson, who recorded an impressive stat line of his own. Thompson garnered 19 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, five blocks and two steals over 41 minutes to mark his 10th double-double of the season. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is averaging 15.6 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals over his last eight games, seven of which Thompson was in the starting lineup. "A lot of guys are benefiting from him being in the lineup," Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. Thompson replaced Jabari Smith Jr. as a starter after Smith broke his left hand during shootaround and will be out 4-6 weeks. While Thompson's shooting isn't the highlight of his game, he adds a faster pace, ball-handling skills and strong defense to a starting lineup that has led the Rockets to the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. "He's going to compliment guys on both sides of the ball," Udoka said. Thompson's defensive instincts have taken pressure off his fellow starters, especially with Udoka matching him up against the opponent's more athletic players. "He blocks shots that normally guys can't get to...I'm not surprised by anything he's doing defensively," Udoka said.
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's spend the next ten minutes talking about that all
things Rockets with the head coach of your Houston Rockets,
em Medoka. So, Coach, if I was to play a
pickup game in Denver today with this thin air, would
I feel extra tired after working out?

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Or would I feel just fine?

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Give me the honest answers.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Do you feel fine? If you're in shape? You see me?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
That's another breathing to say, coach, Thanks very much, I
appreciate that very much. How are things you guys ready
to go for tonight? It would be a good matchup.
Denver came in after beating Denver pretty bad last night.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, they had a good back to back against Dallas.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Obviously played really well last night, been playing well lately,
eight one, eight out of their last ten. You know,
had some lumps early with some guys in the out
of the lineup, and others are stepping up now.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
So it would be a good challenge for us tonight.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hey, great wins against Memphis your last two games, uh,
sixteen to thirty one from three point range, and obviously
that's not happened a lot so far this year. How
good was it to feel that to see the guys
not only getting those shots, getting the open little looks,
the extra pass, but knocking him down as well.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
That was great.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
I think, you know, a lot of these teams are
packing the paint, you know, when Edi is out of
the game or certain guys, they try to protect the
paint by committee and us being unselfish, you know, getting
the paint touches, kicking out the wide open shots is
a good recipe for us. But then just like that,
we had guys attacking down He'll get into the basket.
So it was a nice mix of all those things,
getting to the free throw line as well and making them

(01:25):
at a higher clipp in Memphis, and had the guard
in the fourth quarter to get back in.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
It feels like we talk about him in Thompson every
week on this show, and we're gonna do it again
with him in the starting lineup in lieu of Jabari
Smith Junior. I guess philosophically, I was wondering how it
was gonna fit with the lack of shooting, but it
has worked and the offense has been really good.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
Why is that, Well, we have a lot of our
really good shooters in the first group anyway, So although
Jabari is not there, we get at a different uh
at a different rate. I guess he's handling a lot more.
Fred is being the rest of being off ball. Obviously
Jalen shooting the ball extremely well, and then Dylan's one
of our most consistent, so we still have the shooting there.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
We just have another pace we can play it with
him in the lineup.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
Obviously, defensively, we're not gonna have any drop off with
them in and there. It actually gives us more versatility
to put him on some guys that were traditionally put
Dylan on and dealing can guards some of the bigs
and take care of those actions. And then, like I said,
he's just getting other guys going in pace and transition.
He's another guy that can break down the defense and
make passes and so a lot of guys are benefiting

(02:30):
from him being in the lineup.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
Last six games, thirty points on average from Jalen Green.
What's working for him? And it feels like we've seen
these runs before. What does he need to do to
sustain it?

Speaker 3 (02:43):
What's confidence is aggressiveness, but not just settling for threes
or whatever the team is trying to give him. He's
still getting downhill, getting too the basket, get to the
free throw line eleven for eleven from the free throw
line last game. And then he's reading the defense is
better and making plays for everybody, and so all those
things on the offensive end are great. He's taking the
challenge defensively and had to put him on some tough

(03:05):
matchups over those games you mentioned and held up really
well there.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
And so just a combination of everything. Becoming a more well.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
Rounded player, competitive on both sides of the floor, but
ultra confident and aggressive on offense is always a good
thing for him.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Fred has not had the type of shooting season I
think he would be happy about it as compared to
what he's done in the past. But there have been
tonights where he's taken over games. Didn't shoot a lot
against Memphis a couple of nights back. Is that a hey,
I like you doing more distribution, get to other guys
the hot hand, or is it that he just he
has still free reign and he said, you know, want

(03:40):
a night like this, I gotta let the other guys eat.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
I think Fred is always going to take what the
game gives him, and if it's a night where he
has to be a facilitator and get everybody involved.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
He'll do that gladly.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
If teams are trying to take away Jalen and Alp
being some other guys and he has to score more,
he'll do that as well.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
And so you've seen that obviously.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
But I think inserting them in until lineup gives us
another ball handle that creates for everybody, and so he's
not getting the same amount of reps as he was,
you know, as far as the ball handling duty with
the man and Jalen doing their part as well, and
I think he's totally fine with that.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
He guards certain guys.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
He guarded Band extremely well five points in the first
half and really well at their place, and so he'll
take on some certain certain matchups on that end. But
I think it's good for him to have a break
offensively at times and be a recipient of some of
those passes and plays that guys are making. And so
whatever it's called upon, he'll he'll do. And obviously he
saw him make a big three down the stretch for us,
and he's done that throughout the year.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
As a dinner last night with Ryan Hollins and he
was like, yeah, I love the men and Jalen are
on the floor at the same time. And obviously you
guys chart every different possession, who's out there for, how
long is there? They play a lot with each other,
so maybe this just latest run is not even worthy
of note. But do you notice something different when those
two guys are each touching the ball every trip down

(04:55):
the floor, when they're on the floor for a significant
period of time together.

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, Well, before even before a Men started starting, him
and Jalen, we're really good tandem.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
On the floor together.

Speaker 3 (05:05):
We have seen that that was a great trend for us,
and so it's just more of the same now that
they're starting together, playing more minutes together, and so we'd
like to pair them on the floor when a man
was coming off the bench. And like I said, they
compliment each other very well. Both guys get out in transition.
High flyers can get out and run and push the pace.
But I think a man creates a lot of attention
for guys and he can make those passes, so he's

(05:26):
free ended up for Jalen, for Fred and some of
those guys. And that's why when you said a men
being the line, we haven't really missed a beat. Like
he's gonna compliment guys on both sides of the ball
offensively defensively.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
And plug him into any any position. He'll he'll make
it work.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
Yeah, six seven guys are supposed to block shots occasionally,
but he had what five the other night. He his
just guessing just feels like the right thing, right in
terms of he just knows when the jump, He knows
that he knows his opponents, he knows their tendencies, and
that that's what makes a really good shot block and
not necessarily being always seven feet tall bigger than.

Speaker 3 (05:59):
That, right, No, I mean his timing and instincts are great.
You know, he blocks shots that normal guys can't get to.
He blocks a lot of jump shots, which is one
of the hardest thing to do obviously, but the weak
side block was a big one late in the game
as well, And so his timing is great, his instincts
are great, and even when he's out of position, he
can still make up for it with his athleticism and physicality,
and so reached for the one on Marant didn't get

(06:21):
it and still was able to go off the off
the floor agains you know, his first and second jumper
so fast that he can contest a lot of shots
made Murrant travel on one that he hung in the
air too long so he didn't get the block there,
but contested that as well. So like to put him
on a lot of matchups athletic guys that he can
contest and use his strength and physicality and not surprised
at all by anything he's doing defensively.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Last question, we mentioned the Nuggets are playing a lot better.
They destroyed Dallas for a second straight game in Dallas
last night. We know about Murray, we know about Jokicic,
we know about Porter. Tell me about what it's like
watching Russ as a Denver Nugget.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, he's really enthused energy and sparkling to that team.
I think, you know, he's playing really well, you know,
starting now when Gordon was out, and he does a
lot of what a man does for us as far
as changing the pace and the energy and electricity brings
to that lineup, and so I think it was good
for him to really infuse that into the team for them.
When Murray had a slow start of some guys were injured,

(07:16):
and so he's been very consistent, has a nice two.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
Man game going with the Okics.

Speaker 3 (07:21):
Whether he's handling or the recipient of the passes, and
so yeah, you still.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Got to worry about the other guys.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
But what he does for that team on both ends
of the floor has really elevated them lately. But then
you add in Jamal Murray, you know, with the forty
five point game last night and their natural scores.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
That's why it makes them such a tough matchup.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
All right, get some resk because we've got a tough
road trip coming up Sacramento tomorrow and then Portland on Saturday.
Thanks coach for the time. As always, we'll see at
the arena lad this evening.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
All right, Thank you, guys, you got it.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
Betsy made Dook a rocketshead coach with us weekly here
on Sports Talk.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
Seven out of
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