As the Houston Rockets were entering the 2025-26 NBA season, it quickly became clear that some re-shuffling of the rotation would be necessary given their offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, and it appeared likely that young wing Amen Thompson would need to slide into the backcourt in order to accommodate the superstar scorer.
Yet, with the news that Fred VanVleet could miss the season with an ACL injury, it is now the most likely scenario that Thompson takes on starting point guard responsibilities: an opportunity that could give him the chance to highlight an emerging aspect of his game.