NBA Rookie Power Rankings: New name cracks top five heading into final week

4. Amen Thompson

Last week's rank: 6

Over March, Amen Thompson and the Houston Rockets have come alive. At one point in the month, they were on a 12-game winning streak and were nearing the point of a potential play-in berth before losing four straight quickly after.

Thompson, like many other rookies, featured the best stretch of his young career during March. Over the month, he averaged 13.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. Additionally, he shot the ball at an impressive 57.6 percent from the field while relying minimally on his 3-point shot.

Since entering the spotlight of OTE while still in high school, he and his brother Ausar have struggled to maintain a solid shot from deep. If Thompson is to find major success at the pro level it will be critical that he develop a respectful shot from behind the arc.

Despite not relying heavily on an outside shot, Thompson finds a lot of success at the rim. A bulk of his offense comes at the rim or around the paint, where Thompson has developed a nifty touch shot and an uncanny ability to contort his body to make contested layups.

Unfortunately for fans of Thompson and the Rockets, he would be ejected early in Sunday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks after shoving Maxi Kleber to the ground twice in the first quarter. Thompson needs to stay on the court, but his impact shouldn't be questioned when the regular season wraps up.