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Posted: May 22, 2025 -- 1:31 p.m. CT
Today, the NBA announced that Houston Rockets guard/forward Amen Thompson was named NBA All-Defensive First Team. He is the fifth different player in franchise history to have been selected to an All-Defensive First Team (Hakeem Olajuwon 5 times, Rodney McCray, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Beverley).
Thompson is the ninth player in NBA history, and the seventh who didn't come from the ABA, to have made an All-Defensive First Team in either the first or second season of a career: Walt Frazier in his second season in 1968-69, Don Buse and Bobby Jones in their first two NBA seasons after coming from ABA in 1976-77 and 1977-78, Micheal Ray Richardson in his second season in 1980-81, David Robinson in his second season in 1990-91, Tim Duncan in his second season in 1998-99, Evan Mobley in his second season in 2022-23 and Victor Wembanyama in his rookie season in 2023-24. Thompson is also the seventh player who was 22 or younger for the majority of a season to be named All-Defensive First Team.
Houston allowed the sixth-fewest points this season (109.9 ppg) and ranked sixth in field goal defense (.459). Thompson had the lowest defensive field goal percentage (.407) of players with more than 10 games played who defended at least 9.0 shots per game. He also ranked 10th in defensive rating (107.9) for players who averaged at least 30.0 minutes played.
This past season, Thompson averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.41 steals and 1.29 blocks. He became the first player with at least 10 games played in a season to have averaged at least 14.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.40 spg and 1.20 bpg since Anthony Davis in 2019-20. From the start of January, Thompson was one of four players with at least 10 games played to have averaged at least 15.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 5.0 apg (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis).
Thompson was the first player to have reached his totals of point, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a season since Antetokounmpo in 2017-18. Thompson is also the first player to have reached his totals of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks thru the first 131 games of a career since Chris Webber.
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