It was initially unknown what role Amen Thompson would play for the Houston Rockets. Thompson was an exceptional floor general in the Overtime Elite, but that was the Overtime Elite.

Not the NBA.

The decline in the level of competition is immense.

And the Rockets had Kevin Porter Jr. on the roster at the time, who had served as the team's floor general. And the team signed Fred VanVleet to a max contract, something they certainly wouldn't have done if they didn't intend for him to be the team's point guard.

So again: where has Thompson gone? Well, it would be months before we find out, as he suffered an injury early on and spent a significant amount of time in the G-League when he was healthy enough to play.

Finally we got our answer. He acted as a Swiss army knife as he was a jack of all trades. Rockets coach Ime Udoka moved him to the wing.

And Thompson proved to be a defensive anchor.

But that was a year ago. Now Thompson begins his second year with the goal of improving and making progress.

And according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, he could have a shot at the Most Improved Player award.

“After successfully predicting that Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey would win the award last season, I have no choice but to attempt to repeat the feat. After looking through the roster and considering the candidates, I chose Thompson.”

I think perception will play a big role here. Thompson's rookie season wasn't really well received by fans, partly because he missed the start and only played 62 games, of which he only started 23.

However, when he played, he was a very successful rookie. First, look at these splits: 13.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 58.4 percent shooting, two assists for every turnover and almost two “stocks” (steals + blocks) per night. He needs to become more threatening as a shooter (8-of-58 from 3…yikes), but that's the one area where young players can sometimes make big strides.

With Houston potentially becoming a more serious playoff contender this year and Thompson likely receiving a lot more playing time in return, I expect him to become a more prominent name in the national conversation. Whether that's enough to earn him an award like this remains to be seen – it's usually an out-of-left-field, never-expected season that gets this award. But if there’s a Maxey-style year out there that we can possibly imagine, then I think Thompson has the best chance of making it happen.”

Thompson and the Rockets will be on the court in their season opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

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