Jalen Green or Amen Thompson: Who Should the Rockets Prioritize?

Ryen Russillo made an interesting point on The Bill Simmons Podcast following the Houston Rockets' Game 7 elimination by the Golden State Warriors. Amid the defeat and questions heading into the Rockets' offseason, Russillo brings up a decision they may have to make regarding Jalen Green and Amen Thompson. "Amen clearly needs to be the priority, for him around whatever they do with [Fred] VanVleet and whatever they do with [Dillon] Brooks," Russillo said.

"So if Green is taking away shot opportunities from Amen next season, that's getting in the way of his development." It's certainly an interesting point and something to think about. Thompson has largely been a tertiary or even quaternary scoring option for most of his first two seasons in Houston, but he's shown flashes of elite scoring, especially in Game 7.



Despite the loss, he put up 24 points and nine rebounds on 56.3% shooting from the field. Green was the opposite in his playoff debut.

Aside from his 38-point explosion in Game 2, the 23-year-old was a liability for the Rockets. He couldn't crack 37.5% from the field in any other game.

Green's one-dimensional style of play and his inefficiencies have plagued him through his early NBA career. There were legitimate rumors of Houston potentially moving on from him before he signed a three-year, $106 million extension back in October. Thompson, on the other hand, has proven to be a Swiss Army knife for the Rockets, but has also leveled up his scoring output this year.

Although his three-point shooting is a flaw, he knows that, having taken only 91 shots from deep this season. As a starter, Thompson averaged 16.0 points, 9.

2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.

6 blocks. That's not even taking into account the fact that he was only in that position for 42 games, and was not considered a top scoring option. As Houston continues to develop the core, moving on from Green and focusing on Thompson is a legitimate idea at this point.

The Rockets are in the running for a big-time trade this offseason and may have to give up one of the two in the process. It's a matter of who Houston sees as a better long-term fit..