Rockets Trade Rumors: Rivals Question How Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün Can Co-Exist

The Houston Rockets have plenty of young talent with Alperen Şengün (21 years old), Jalen Green (22), Jabari Smith Jr. (20) and Amen Thompson (21), but with that talent eventually comes questions about how well they will all play together as the focus shifts toward potential postseason runs.

And those questions have reportedly arrived.

"When you're in a total rebuild, you don't necessarily worry about fit," ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on the Lowe Post podcast (43-minute mark). "You just get all the talent you can. And they're getting to the point where you really start factoring in fit. … The guy who I'm hearing the most excitement about is Amen Thompson.

"… When I'm talking to other teams about the Rockets, I'm hearing a lot of questions about how much of that is because the floor has opened up without Şengün on the floor? And Thompson is basically playing the 5 for them, and how much can he exist with Şengün? You're hearing a lot of those kinds of things."

Şengün hasn't played since March 10 because of an ankle sprain that Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported will likely keep him sidelined for the remainder of the regular season.

While it was quite the blow for Houston's postseason chances, Thompson has picked up the slack with four double-doubles since March 14. He is averaging 13.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in the month of March, which is quite the improvement on his overall season averages of 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds.

With Thompson playing so well down low, the Rockets are 9-1 in their 10 games since Şengün's setback.

That has propelled them to just two games behind the Golden State Warriors for the final play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference.

Even if Houston ultimately doesn't reach the play-in tournament, it at least knows it has another building block in Thompson given the recent stretch of play. Perhaps it will eventually need to make a decision on keeping him (under team control through 2026-27) or Şengün (team control through 2024-25), but having an excess of talent is better than the alternative.

For now, Thompson and the Rockets are trying to reach the postseason and potentially set the stage for a Şengün return.