Rockets' Amen Thompson: Moving back to bench

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka implied that Thompson will head to the bench for Thursday's game against the Pelicans, Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610 Houston reports.

With Fred VanVleet (adductor) getting a clean bill of health after missing the Rockets' last five games before the All-Star break, he'll take back his familiar spot in the starting five at point guard, resulting in Thompson being the odd man out. The rookie lottery pick showed well in his five-game run with the top unit, averaging 12.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in 34.2 minutes while shooting 59.2 percent from the field. Thompson will see a steep reduction in playing time now that he's no longer starting, though his solid play as a replacement for VanVleet could at least earn him more minutes on the wing than he had been seeing before VanVleet's absence.