Draymond Green Shuts Down Amen Thompson’s Shooting Critics After $208 Million Contract Extension
· Yahoo Sports
Amen Thompson has signed a five-year, $208 million contract extension with the Rockets that will keep him in Houston until the end of the 2031-32 season. After the news, former NBA player Joe Johnson urged Thompson to develop a jump shot now that the Rockets have invested so much money in him.
The Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green seemed off about those comments. He recorded an episode of his podcast, ‘The Draymond Green Show,’ where he fired back at Johnson for having such expectations for Amen Thompson while giving the young forward his flowers.
Visit saltysenoritaaz.com for more information.
“I think this is an incredible deal for Amen Thompson. Obviously, we’ve seen the growth. We understand how talented this young guy is. How special he is, especially on the defensive end. A really, really, really talented player who’s only going to continue to get better.”
“What this deal also says to me, though, is that this is Amen Thompson’s team. Now, Alperen Sengun signed a similar deal. He signed a five-year, $185 million deal. No trade kicker, to my knowledge, but I do know that he has a player option on that last year, whereas Amen Thompson does not have a player option.”
“Listen, this is the going rate for young, talented stars in the making. And I think, you know, overall, the Houston Rockets had to do this deal. It’s not something they could think about or not try to do; they have to do this deal.”
“Um, and by the way, you want to protect your young assets. You want to show your young asset, you know, young player, that, yo, this franchise believes in you. But ultimately, I think what this deal says to me is this: this says, this is our guy. This is who we’re giving the keys to our organization,” Draymond Green said.
“And, you know, Amen Thompson has the demeanor to be that guy. He has, you know, he has a certain seriousness about him when it comes to the game of basketball, you know, and yet he has a smile. He has an infectious personality.”
“He’s a guy who you can put up on a big poster and be the face of your franchise. I think that he is that guy. And I think this is a great move for the Houston Rockets.”
“Since he’s been there, that team has been going up and up and up. And I think he’s right in the middle of that. And he’s only getting better. He’s only going to get better.”
“For instance, Joe Johnson came out on Nightcap and said, ‘All he should be doing is putting up jump shots this summer. I mean, because, look, that tells me one thing: the Houston Rockets really believe that he is like that. You know, to invest that type of money in you. Come on, bro. You got to develop this jumper. They’re going to need you.'”
“And I agree with Joe Johnson 100%, but I also agree with Joe Johnson: they are handing you the keys to this franchise, and you have to take them and run with it. But you have to be improving.”
“He doesn’t have to come out and shoot the ball like Kevin Durant. But for this team to be who they want to be, he’s going to have to be an 18-to-20-point-a-night scorer.”
“And he’s going to have to be able to knock down an open three. They’re not going to be able to be successful just putting him in the dunker to try to get around. He’s too talented,” Draymond Green further explained.
“You need him with the ball in his hands. He needs to be making plays, and down the stretch, he’s got to put himself in a position to do that. He has to—he has to get a reliable mid-range jump shot, and he has to be able to knock a three down, right? He doesn’t.”
“You’re not going to ask Steph Curry, “Yo, go gain the ability to jump like Amen Thompson.” We’re not going to ask anyone that. We’re not going to go ask anyone, “Yo, we need you to become as athletic as Amen Thompson is. We need you to be as good a defender as Amen Thompson is.’ No.”
“So, I do think, number one, you get paid for what you’ve done. I think there’s always this idea of you get paid for what you’re going to become. No, no, no. In this league, you get paid for what you’ve done.”
“Amen Thompson has put together a body of work that says, ‘If you want to keep me, this is going to be the going rate.’ Now, yes, he needs to improve. But on the flip side, I do get a little frustrated sometimes when people come out like, ‘Yo, this guy can just gain a jump shot.’
“Like, yo, jump shooting is a skill. Yes, you can work, work, and work to better that skill, but we’re not going to ask Steph Curry to go beat Amen Thompson athletically.”
“So, if we’re not going to do that, then let’s not always point to when it’s shooting for a guy that, oh man, he needs to, like, yes, he does. I agree with that.”
“But let’s also know he is elite at jumping. He’s an elite defender. Getting from point A to point B, elite. So he has some elite things about him. And ultimately, that’s what he’s paid for.”
“It would be great for his success, for his team’s success, for him to acquire a jump shot, but he’s paid because he’s elite at some things, not because they think he’s going to become a good jump shooter.”
“Needless to say, I do agree with Joe. If he gets that jump shot down, it’s going to be hell to pay for everyone,” Green concluded.
In essence, Green believes Johnson is right that a jump shot would improve Thompson’s game, but that shouldn’t be a reason to criticize the Rockets’ star.
Amen Thompson ended the 2025-26 season averaging 18.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 53.0% from the field but an abysmal 21.8% from beyond the arc (including the playoffs). He also shot only 77.3% from the free-throw line.
But this is while attempting fewer than two three-point shots per game. If he begins attempting six to seven three-point shots per game and makes even two of them (an improvement to 33% shooting from three), these averages move up to near 24-25 points per game in scoring.
And while that would be a dream scenario come true for Thompson’s personal growth, there are several better shooting options on the team than Thompson who are more likely to make contested three-point looks.
Therefore, as Green said, Thompson needs to focus on making the wide-open jump shots and three-point shots he often gets, since he has built a reputation as a non-threat from range. If he can catch teams off guard and punish them with these threes, the sky is the limit for Thompson’s game.
Nobody is asking Amen Thompson to work on off-the-dribble shooting in isolation looks, but rather to make the uncontested looks he gets when a defense collapses and the ball gets kicked out to him.
One of the biggest problems for the Rockets’ offense last season was what to do when Kevin Durant gets doubled. Moreover, they lacked veteran experience last season, which they now have with Fred VanVleet and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The Rockets ended last season 28th among all teams in three-point shooting attempts and 25th among three-point shots made. If Thompson becomes an additional threat to space the floor alongside young players like Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason, the Rockets will have a significant leap in their offensive efficiency.
Thompson will certainly be in the gym all summer looking to improve. The Rockets have signed a new shooting coach, Chip Engelaand, who has already hit the ground running with Thompson.
Welcome Coach Chip Engelland to H-town! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/dGRa3W0wZg
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) September 9, 2026
I’m sure Thompson understands the weight of the expectations on his shoulders to carry the future of the Rockets. But it will be very fascinating to see how Ime Udoka fits that into their offense, or if he continues using Thompson like before.