Rockets forward Amen Thompson and Heat guard Tyler Herro got into an altercation in the closing minute of the game, resulting in six ejections. Thompson and Herro got entangled with Miami trying to inbound the ball. After the game, the Miami Heat’s guard was smiling and talking about Thompson’s defense.
Tyler Herro Mocks Amen Thompson’s Defense
Amen Thompson is in his second year in the league, and he is already viewed as one of the best defensive players in the league. Yet, Tyler Herro doesn’t think that. After Thompson grabbed the Heat guard by the jersey and tossed him in the closing minute, the two got ejected. In his post-game interview, Herro threw some shades at Amen’s defense. He said,
“Two competitors going at it, playing basketball. Just a physical game. I guess that’s what happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing. I would get mad too.”
To be fair, Herro did have an amazing game, finishing with 27 points on 10-17 shooting to go along with nine assists and six rebounds. Thompson, on the other hand, had only five points on 2-4 shooting. He also had five rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
Amen Thompson’s Defensive Value
If we look at players’ advanced stats, we can see that Thompson is definitely among the best defenders in the league. Out of players who have played at least 25 minutes per game so far this season, he has the seventh-best defensive rating. We have to note, that Chet Holmgren leads the list with a defensive rating of 96.8, but he has played only 10 games so far, with the last one on November 10th.
It is clear that Houston and OKC have the best individual defenders, as the two teams dominate the top 10 players with excellent defensive ratings. They have the first seven players, including Chet, Isaiah Hartenstein, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun, and Thompson. Sengun and Thompson have the same defensive rating of 104.
In one interview, Amen talked about his defense and how he gets better on that end. He said,
“I view myself as one of the best defenders. Obviously, I think it’s very hard to score on me. I think my presence is known on defense. I watch a lot of film. So I know how players play. I also feel like I have good instincts on dudes’ tendencies. I know that I am able to stop that.”
So far this season, Thompson is averaging more than one steal and one block. Not many players in the league can say that.
Ime Udoka Defends Amen Thompson
Ime Udoka is a coach known for defending his players, and he didn’t shy away from it this time. After the game, in his press conference, Udoka said,
“I just didn’t see it live, but I rewatched it and they were in each other’s faces, bumping chests a little bit. And one guy’s stronger than the other.”
Ime also talked about his team’s good play on the defensive end, saying,
“You can rely on your defense and you know, hold the team to a certain number. They finished with 23 in that quarter and they had a ton of free throws at the end, and the technical and all that. We are guarding well enough, but we were struggling to score at the other end.”
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