NBA fans are quite worried about Amen Thompson and wonder if he will be returning to action for the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA Summer League. As some of us might be aware, Amen was selected with the 4th pick in the draft.
He and his brother Ausar garnered a lot of attention from fans and media alike as they are both twins looking to make a name for themselves as NBA stars. Although there is still plenty of time for them to prove doubters wrong, this injury has certainly slowed things down for Amen. With that being said, let us take a closer look at the situation and find out more.
How did Amen Thompson get injured?
It appears that the injuries to young NBA stars only seem to be growing rampant with each passing year. Many analysts and experts have blamed the speed and force of the modern NBA as a result. However, some have even claimed that the idea of load management has softened up players and made them more susceptible to injury.
In any case, Amen Thompson ended up getting injured during a summer league game against Scoot Henderson and the Portland Trail Blazers. To the fans who were unable to watch this game, Thompson ended up awkwardly landing after contesting a shot at the rim during the final minutes of the game. To make matters worse, bodies collapsed on his leg, increasing the severity of his ankle injury.
While the Rockets were still able to win without him, thanks to a last-minute three-point buzzer-beater from Jabari Smith Jr, fans were disheartened to see Amen hobble out of the court and remain sidelined for the final stretch of the match.
It was initially reported that this was a minor ankle sprain and that Amen would not miss much time, it has now been revealed that he is highly likely to miss the remainder of the NBA Summer League. Perhaps the Rockets management has decided that risking his health for these games with no real value isn’t the right call and is looking to have him rest up for the remainder of the offseason while working on his conditioning.
We have already seen rookies like Chet Holmgren miss an entire season after getting injured during an off-season game. Hopefully, Amen is able to make a full recovery and get enough quality reps in before the NBA season starts.