Rockets Amen Thompson named best perimeter defender by NBA GMs

Every year, the NBA General Managers take a survey voting on certain topics such as best defender, player most likely to have a breakout season, best assistant coach, etc. What keeps this survey honest is that general managers are not allowed to vote for any of their players or staff. If you want to read the survey for yourself, you can do so here.

This year, one particular Rocket was mentioned repeatedly in the survey, and that is Wing Amen Thompson, who scored second for most likely to break out, scored fourth for what player can move the ball fastest, and second for most adaptable defender (behind only Wembanyama), amongst other awards.

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Amen Thompson scored first in two categories, those being best perimeter defender and most athletic. For best perimeter defender, Thompson garnered 30% of the vote, surpassing both his twin brother Ausar Thompson and Alex Caruso, who both received 17%. In the athletic category, he was even more dominant, winning 63% of the vote, far more than Anthony Edwards, who came in second with 20%.

Anyone who has followed Thompson during the previous two seasons with the Rockets shouldn’t be surprised by either outcome, in my opinion. The fact that NBA executives are showing him this much respect before he even starts his fourth NBA season is even more impressive.

Amen Thompson is already regarded as one of the NBA’s best defenders. Even while he has the bulk to compete with larger wings at 6’7″, what really stands out is his ability to stay ahead of smaller, speedier guards. When an attacking player steps on him, few players have the length and speed to recover and still make a move.

I also love how defensively aggressive Thompson is without constantly changing positions. He doesn’t need to risk steals to make a mark because his length, speed, and ability to contest shots already make opponents uncomfortable. It is a big honor for Rockets coach Ime Udoka to be able to pair Thompson with the top perimeter scorer on the opposing team and trust him to carry it out. In my opinion, Thompson has a good chance of winning Defensive Player of the Year at some point in his career. When…

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Publish date : 2026-10-16 18:59:00

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