Why The Rockets Amen Thompson Point Guard EXPERIMENT Needs To END | Are Fans TOO Critical This Year?
Why The Rockets Amen Thompson Point Guard EXPERIMENT Needs To END | Are Fans TOO Critical This Year?
Houston Rockets face critical questions as the Amen Thompson point guard experiment falters. Can Reed Sheppard unlock the offense and push the Rockets past their playoff ceiling? Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by host of Rockets Talk Roosh Williams (@RooshWilliams) to dissect the team’s bold yet puzzling lineup choices, with Thompson miscast as a primary playmaker and Sheppard’s dynamic shot-making left on the bench. Defensive strengths, offensive stagnation, and the stubbornness of head coach Ime Udoka take center stage, raising concerns about the team’s path forward.
Key debates revolve around Alperen Sengun’s plateau in development, the effectiveness of role players like Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith, and how adversity has shaped fan expectations. The episode challenges whether Rockets fans are too critical given the team’s resilience and current third seed in the Western Conference. Is a change in rotation overdue, or will sticking to defensive identities be the team’s undoing in the postseason?
#Rockets #NBA #AmenThompson
Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by host of Rockets Talk Roosh Williams (@RooshWilliams) to discuss
📺 Subscribe On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnRockets
📲 Twitter: https://twitter.com/JTGatlin & https://twitter.com/LockedOnRockets
📲 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jtgatlin.bsky.social
🎧 Follow/Subscribe/Listen:
Locked On Rockets Anywhere: https://linktr.ee/LockedOnRockets
Locked On NBA Anywhere: https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA
For your next listen, check out the Locked On NBA podcast, where the season never ends providing national expertise with a local perspective. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.
Everydayer Club – If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.
Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
TurboTax – This year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today.
Betterhelp – This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA.
5-Hour ENERGY – Have your cake & drink it too. Birthday cake-flavor is back, no fork needed. Vanilla-y cakey flavor, caffeinated kick, and no sugar. It’s party time. Order Now at 5-hourENERGY.com or Amazon.
Indeed – Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast
Gametime – Today’s episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.
FanDuel – FanDuel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a College Basketball Parlay Profit Boost. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
#HoustonRockets #Rockets #NBA #KevinDurant #AlperenSengun #AmenThompson #JabariSmithJr #TariEason #ReedSheppard #FredVanVleet #DorianFinneySmith #StevenAdams #AaronHoliday #JaeSeanTate #JeffGreen #ClintCapela #JoshOkogie
37 Comments
General rule: if you're a young player and Rafael Stone thinks you're a point guard, you are NOT a point guard.
Everything was spot on
Go Rockets ❤🎉❤
I disagree with Roosh. I don’t think he’s that high on our guys, and I think he’s confusing athletic prime with actual basketball prime.
Kobe with the fro was his athletic peak — explosive, above the rim, pure physical gifts. But bald Kobe? That was his real prime. The footwork, the patience, the reads, the understanding of timing and angles. Same player, different level of mastery.
Russ never had that consistent jumper from day one. As a rookie, he had a ton of growing pains. The talent was obvious, but the polish came later through reps, mistakes, and responsibility.
As Rockets fans, we’re just impatient. We want it now. I remember when Harden first took on that high-usage role running the offense — it used to drive me crazy when he’d pass out of a shot with two seconds left on the clock.
This is really Amen’s first true trial-and-error season. Before this, he’s mostly played a defined role. Now he’s being asked to think, create, read defenses, and grow in real time. That takes reps. It takes mistakes.
We’ve just got to relax and let the development happen.
Even though Stone says we arent developing but clearly we are at the moment.
In the playoffs last year Tompson stepped up when JG and Sengun didn’t. He has that toughness/ fire that can’t be ignored. Yes he has to work on his jumper and playmaking. Not easy when you’re the primary defender or have lack of consistent spacing when you’re a premier slasher
Bench Eason; start Reed
No fans arent too critical. Some of us play and or played and can tell Amen isnt a PG.
Thats not what hes good at and theres really no point to try and force him to be something hes really not.
He likes reckless abandon and getting down hill. Ime needs to wise up seriously or whoever is making these decisions.
What watching Hakeem makes me realize is that Sengun needs to limit his offensive execution to 1-2 Dribbles on good efficiency.
Ill go a step further and say that Reed might actually gain even better ability to handle the Rock even without a screen because he seems to be growin in all aspects.
What is buddy even trying to say?
Yes we are over critical but a man is not a point guy he's a two God like Clyde drexler
Bro Williams I like your analysis
💯💯 Big Facts
Reed / amen / Jabari / kd / sengun. Davidson/ okogie / tari / capela 9 man rotation
No. Fans are not overly harsh because our game constantly threatens to buckle under the smallest amount of pressure. Just look at the Heat game, that's a mediocre team simply shifting into higher gear with running and jumping and Rockets ran out of gas/will to compete almost instantly.
We looked better in October than now.
Once Stone publicly said this might not be our year so why don't we work on next years team.. Those youngsters won't grow up by sitting on the bench.As you can imagine i am big fan of Alperen , but if he is the weak part of the team you should get him on the bench until he is good enough to be starter again .. No man is bigger than the team
Good podcast. I don't think this is a "make or break" season. I don't mind giving Amen and Reed reps at the point. Let's see what we have. Maybe Amen can be a point and maybe he can't, but we are a top 6 team in the league with Jabari slumping from 3, Steven Adams being hurt, Tari slumping, and Fred being hurt.
Marion was NOT the #4 pick in the draft so the expectation was different.
It would take only a typo to make this video go viral 😀
So you saying Ime's coaching is the problem?
His brocher Ausar shot is a lot smoother in the midrange. Amen will get there but he needs the reps.
yall are 3 seed i thing its a good thing, just win both games vs warriors and blazers and guys are good cuz spurs will play wolves, nuggets, lakers and rockets in 7 day's.
This teams have 3 pg, Fred, Reed and Holiday. Next season we need a Pf and sf who can shot. Whith Fred back if he is healty we are a contender. Saluti dall'Italia!
The BAD COACHING DECISIONS is absolutely 💯 hurting this team … the analytics tells a storyline, but the data is not being used 😭😭🤬🤬🤬😡😡😡😡😡😡
Jabri at the 5, we wouldnt get a single rebound 😂😂😂
Ime is definitely mishandling Reed, Amen and Sengun. Dude is hardheaded and has no creativity. He’s forcing players to fit his system and not highlighting their strengths
Houston is a trash team,need a rebuild,you cant fix it with this and that.
Rafael Stone refuses to trade for a PG or get one off the buy out market.
Udoka is overworking Amen and KD. He plays the starters heavy minutes instead of going deeper into his bench
Since you left frank you became a alpi hater
I love Amen but the best starting lineup doesn't include him. Reed, KD, Tari, Bari, Sengun
Thanks guys
Jackson you keep missing the point when bringing up Jokic…. Yes Jokic needs Jamal Murray to create… However, Jokic gives SPACE to ALLOW Murray to be able to Create… its a give-give… Sengun offers no spacing to even Allow Amen to be able to create for him… Its a one way street with Sengun… Sengun needs to this this that, but what about other players with better athletic ability to get downhill like Amen…. Amen needs Sengun to be able to Space as well… give-give
I don't think we been too critical on the rockets it's lot of teams been hurt this season they should be around 42 or 43 wins by now.
He wants to play point guard and they don't want him mad or it might cause his confidence to drop
Fire
Reed needs to be the lead guard and Amen should play off of him
I genuinely believe we'd be right behind San Antonio with about 3 or 4 more wins if DFS was just an average NBA player