Developing Thompson, says Udoka, involved making him uncomfortable. Coming up, Thompson—who spent two seasons playing for Overtime Elite, the prep-to-pro program for teenagers looking to bypass college—played on the ball. It’s something the Rockets liked about him, a skill Stone says separated him from Ausar. As a rookie, Thompson played more off the ball. Udoka used him as a screener and as a roller. He plugged him in at power forward, forcing Thompson to learn how to defend bigs. “He didn’t know how to do a lot of these things,” says Udoka. “But he needed to become more well-rounded. And he’s a quick learner.”