The Rockets have a very exciting news, Amen beat Green and Rivers Jr.

The well-known US media HoopsHype announced the 2025-26 season point guard ranking. This list was generated by team voting, not based solely on performance last season, but also incorporates predictions for the new season, which is of great reference value. In the specific rankings, Huazi ranked first, with Mitchell and Jaylen Williams following closely, ranking second and third respectively. Among the top 13, powerful players such as Booker, Hero, Amen Thompson are all in the list, among which Rockets star Amen Thompson ranked 7th and performed well. Among the 14th to 26th places, Jaylen Green ranked 14th, Clippers new player Bill only ranked 22nd, while Thunder's Caruso and Warriors' former player Poole ranked 21st and 26th respectively. This list not only reflects the players' past strength accumulation, but also reflects the outside world's expectations for their performance in the new season. Many ranking changes have caused heated discussions among fans.

When this latest shooting guard ranking list was announced, the entire league felt a little incredible - Rockets' Amen Thompson actually ranked seventh, not only would he be far behind Jaylen Green (14th) who was traded to the Suns, but even Lakers' main player Rivers Jr. (9th) was surpassed by him. After a season of transformation, the 23-year-old has given Houston fans hope for revival, and he is about to officially take on the scoring guard in the new season, and the story has just begun. The data comparison of

2024-2025 season has long laid the foreshadowing for the reversal of rankings. Amen Thompson averaged 14.1 points per game, which seems to be inferior to Green (21 points) and Rivers Jr. (20.2 points), but his 55.7% shooting percentage is the only one among the three who has more than 50%, and his 8.2 rebounds is far more than the other two (Green 4.6 and Rivers Jr. 4.5). This performance that takes into account both efficiency and comprehensiveness exactly meets the new requirements of modern basketball for point guards.

Green's problem has always been in the balance. Behind his average 21 points per game is a shooting percentage of 42.3%, and on the defensive end, he is the target of his opponents. His shooting percentage in front of him is 4.2% higher than the average. Although Rivers Jr. has a 46% shooting percentage and 5.8 assists, he lacks presence on the defensive end, and his finishing efficiency at critical moments has declined significantly. On the other hand, Amen, the defensive data of 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks made him the best defensive team, and the opponent's shooting percentage under his defense was firmly controlled at 40.4%. This "offensive and defensive" characteristic is the fundamental reason why the ranking list favors him.

will officially change to the shooting guard in the new season. It is not a simple position change for Amen, but a complete release of talent. In the past, when he was swinging on the front line, he was often asked to undertake too many organizational tasks, which weakened the impact on the offensive end. Now that he is determined to play the scorer, his height of 2.01 meters and his wingspan of 2.13 meters will become a natural advantage - facing most point guards around 1.95 meters, he can not only force breakthroughs with his body, but also misaligned blocks on the defensive end. The room for improvement on the offensive end is particularly exciting. During the offseason, he specialized in Durant's former trainer. His three-point shooting percentage increased from 28% at the beginning of the season to 35% at the end of the season. Although it is not top-notch, it is enough for the opponent to dare not let go easily. What's more important is his breakthrough and passability ability. Behind his 3.8 assists last season was a 61% breakthrough pass success rate, which means that when he and Shin Kyung hit the basket after pick-and-roll, he can not only complete dunks (average 2.3 fast break points per game) but also timely distribute them to outside shooters. This threat is something that neither Green nor Rivers Jr. have.

Durant's joining has become the biggest variable on Amen's growth path. The restraint of this historic scorer will create an unprecedented offensive environment for Amen - when Durant was on the court last season, the opponent's defense will expand by an average of 1.2 meters, which means Amen's breakthrough route will be wider. As he said in the interview: "When the defender must always stare at KD, I just need to be prepared for the sprint, and the opportunity will come to you."

The more profound impact lies in the sculpting of details. Amen's mid-range shot was criticized for "shot too low", and Durant's guidance allowed him to learn to use physical confrontation to adjust the timing of shooting. Offseason training videos showed that his backward jump shot stability has been significantly improved. In addition, Durant's game reading ability will also help Amen adapt to the role of points guards faster, such as how to judge the timing of passes and ends in fast breaks, and how to use off-ball running to create space in positional battles.

Amen's rise has far more than just a starting point guard. His defensive coverage can free Jabarry Smith Jr., making the latter more focused on the defense in the inside; his breakthrough pass can activate Van Vreet and Dillon's outside shooting (both shots from three points last season both exceeded 38%); and when he formed the "Big Three" with Durant and Shin Kyung, the Rockets will have the rare "height + speed + skill" triple advantage in the league.

What is more important is spiritual change. The Rockets have been missing a player with both resilience and leadership in the past few seasons, but Amen has shown this trait at critical moments - he averaged 4.2 points in the fourth quarter last season, with a shooting percentage of 58%, and used defensive counterattacks to ignite the home atmosphere many times when he was behind. This ability to "fight hard battles" is the catalyst that rebuilds the team most.

Starting from seventh place on the ranking list, Amen Thompson's story is being rewritten. He may not score 40 points in a single game like Green, nor will he be the darling in the locker room like Rivers Jr., but with his most comprehensiveness in modern basketball, he found a direction for the Rockets to break the deadlock. When the lights of the new season are on, this big boy who can defend from No. 1 to No. 3 and can dunk and pass the ball may make the entire league understand: sometimes, the improvement of ranking is never accidental, but inevitable to accumulate strength.