Any time a player's name is placed in the same sentence as Michael Jordan, it reflexively forces everyone to do a double-take. It doesn't matter if you're saying that this player's game is stylistically similar to MJ's, or if over the course of a season or a long stretch of games their numbers were similar, or even if in one single game, a player does something that hasn't been done since Michael Jordan did it. That's the weight of the name Michael Jordan, and while any parishioner of the Church of MJ is likely to cry Heresy at the mere mention of Houston Rockets rookie Amen Thompson in the same breath as His Airness, that's the category Thompson has put himself in with his performance on Friday night versus the Portland Trail Blazers.
Amen Thompson had one of the most impactful games of his young career today:
16 PTS
8 REB
3 AST
2 STL
5 BLK (career high)Michael Jordan (!!!!!) is the only other rookie guard to match/exceed these #’s in NBA History. pic.twitter.com/YOBugPkdrE
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) March 9, 2024
Now whether Amen Thompson is a “guard” or a “forward” is up for debate. The 6'7″ rookie is listed as a Small Forward on Basketball-Reference, but what made him such an intriguing prospect while playing for the City Reapers of the Overtime Elite was his ability to play any number of positions, so for the sake of the comparison to MJ, I suppose I can let it slide.
Over the last fifteen games, Amen Thompson has seen a boost in his minutes, and his production has increased as a result (10.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.3 blocks). Thompson is just one of two promising rookies the Rockets managed to snag in the 2023 NBA Draft. 20th overall pick Cam Whitmore is averaging 12 points per game and has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 20 games, including last night against Portland, a game in which he scored 13 points and chipped in with 8 rebounds in just under 24 minutes of action.
In order to keep myself in the good graces of the Church of MJ, here's a little nugget for the congregation: MJ's season low his rookie year was 13 points, a game in which he played only 24 minutes, and it was in just the 8th game of his career that Michael Jordan notched 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks against the Indiana Pacers.
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