Amen Thompson, a 23-year-old guard for the Houston Rockets, is among the most productive players in the NBA despite his poor shooting from three-point range at only 21.6 percent last year. Joe Johnson, a famous seven-time NBA All-Star, challenges the idea that‌ inefficiency in performance is enough to justify the enormous investment made by Houston recently.

On the Nightcap podcast, Joe Johnson criticized the five-year, $208 million contract extension of Thompson for its lack of one crucial thing in the young player’s game.

“I think he’s a hell of a player. You know, a $208 million man; they’re going to expect a lot from you,” Johnson stated during his appearance on Nightcap. “You gotta get a damn jump shot in today’s game, fellas. Gotta get a jump shot. So, they just paid him that money. Man, he should come back shooting that thing with a lot of confidence.”

Thompson’s three-point shot is an actual issue when viewed in statistical context. He shot a mere 1.47 three-point shots per game last year but was successful just 21.6 percent of the time. This marks a dip from the 27.5 percent he achieved during the 2024-25 season, not to mention his abysmal 13.8 percent shooting performance during his rookie season in 2023-24.

Johnson went on to expand on what Thompson has to do during this offseason, including the mechanics and mentality that will help him fix his problems with shooting.

“All he should be doing is putting up jump shots this summer. It could be the way he holds the ball before he shoots. It could be that he has too much hand on the ball,” Johnson explained during his Nightcap appearance. “It could be something just as simple, like him not keeping his shoulder squared to the basket when he shoots. You just have to put in repetitions, repetitions, repetitions.”

The issue posed by Johnson is one that Thompson faces in his shooting technique. The elbow tends to flare out and not maintain its alignment with the basket, thus leading to inconsistency and poor shooting rhythm. The hesitance from the perimeter further exacerbates this problem because of the lack of shooting attempts.

But there was an encouraging statistic from the Thompson season that indicates there is still hope for the young player to improve. During the season, the Rockets guard made 77.9% of his free throws, the best in his career, and substantially better than his average of 68.4% during his first two seasons in the league. There is an indication that shooting practice can improve long-range shooting skills.

Thompson’s entire output has definitely proved Houston right about his potential. In his last season, he has averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while leading the whole league in terms of playing time with 37.4 minutes per game. Thompson was named an All-Defensive First Team player, thereby making his way into a select group of all-round two-way players.

General Manager of the Rockets, Rafael Stone, reaffirmed his belief in Thompson’s progress, even when it comes to shooting.

“Year over year, he’s improved in every facet of his game, and we know his best basketball is ahead of him,” Stone said regarding the extension.

This is essentially a matter of faith that Thompson will become a dependable three-point shooter in the future rather than be one right now.

The Thompson situation is a wider issue within the NBA about whether superior athleticism and defensive ability can take someone through their expensive contract years without proven outside shooting. Time will tell if Johnson was spot on or if Thompson was worth every bit of what the Rockets believed in him.