Durant is willing to take a salary cut of 30 million, and the maximum five-year contract is 317 million. Is Amen Thompson worth it?

The reason why Durant was able to cut his salary by 30 million and renew his contract was not only due to Rockets manager Stone, but also to another person: Amen Thompson. Not long ago, famous reporter Jake Fischer said that Amen Thompson can at least sign a five-year, US$264 million contract with the Rockets next summer. If the contract contains designated rookie clauses, such as winning the MVP or best defensive player award, the contract will be automatically upgraded to five years, US$317 million.

However, there is a major prerequisite for Amen Thompson to get this contract, that is, Durant must take a salary cut. If he cannot renew the contract for 2 years and 122 million US dollars, he must take a salary cut. Who would have thought that Durant would renew his contract with the Rockets for 90 million for two years before he finished speaking. The salary drop of 30 million was surprising. Durant's super salary reduction and renewal also sent a signal - the Rockets seemed to really intend to use the maximum salary to renew Amen Thompson. At least the salary space has been freed up.

Although the boots have not yet landed, the signal released by Durant's contract extension cannot be ignored. If the Rockets really give Amen a maximum salary, it will lead to another question - Is Amen Thompson, a third-year student, really worth 50 million in salary?

Whether it is worth it or not requires a comprehensive analysis. We might as well take a look at Amen Thompson's physical talent first. Amen is 201 centimeters tall and has a wingspan of 213 centimeters, which is at an elite level among players at the same position. Amen's height and wingspan not only give him an advantage against forwards, but he can also easily deal with switching defenses on the inside. Therefore, Amen Thompson is a multi-functional forward defensive warrior, which is extremely rare in this era.

In terms of jumping, Amen Thompson took off 1.06 meters on the spot and 1.22 meters during the approach. His jumping ability reached a historical level. In addition, Amen Thompson's lateral speed is also top-notch in the NBA, which also makes his ability to switch defenses far exceed 90% of players in the same position. In real games, Amen has repeatedly performed exaggerated performances of retreating from the three-point line to the basket to cover and block shots. Looking at NBA history, few people can do this.

In terms of specific defensive data, Amen was able to limit the opponent's shooting percentage to 40.7% in single defense last season, ranking fourth in the league in defensive efficiency of 102.3. When facing defenders, Amen was able to reduce the opponent's shooting percentage to 38.2%. When many forwards are misplaced to defend defenders, they will choose to squeeze through the screen to pursue the defense, because they are afraid that bypassing the defense will give the opponent space to shoot. However, even if Amen Thompson bypasses the defense, he can return to the defensive position in time to complete the interference. Because of his extremely fast lateral speed, coupled with his long wingspan and excellent defensive awareness, it is difficult for defenders to get an easy shot when facing him.

It is no exaggeration to say that even if Amen Thompson stops evolving in the next few years, he will already be an elite defender, and the current annual salary of the league's elite 3D is more than 20 million. In other words, Amen Thompson is worth at least 20 million in annual salary.

What really gives him a chance to get a super-max salary is his offensive performance. The third-year Amen shot 65.3% from the inside last season, and his efficiency in attacking the frame is ridiculously high. Amen averaged 14.1 points per game just by rushing the frame and cutting air. This was the result of his three-point shooting percentage being only 27.5%. If Amen could increase his three-point production, averaging 20 points per game would be basically no problem.

Amen averaged 3.8 assists per game last season and is a setter/secondary ball-handler in the Rockets' offensive system. But this season the Rockets are obviously planning to let Amen play point guard as the main ball-handling point. The reason for doing so is not to catch a duck, but to truly see Amen Thompson's organizational skills. The Rockets have obviously discovered something and intend to train Amen Thompson into an all-around striker like Doncic.

In general, Amen Thompson is a forward player with a low ceiling and a high ceiling. This trait of his is very rare in this era. Once he is polished, he will have the opportunity to become the next Doncic. If this is true, the Rockets' 50 million will be really worth it.