Speaker 1: Four Sports Talk Seminini matten Ross with you here on
the program. We are help joined now by a man Thompson.
You and your brother on that Slam magazine cover.
Speaker 2: Huh that wasn't bad.
Speaker 3: That's tough, right.
Speaker 2: How long did it take you to do that?
Speaker 3: Like an hour? That's it? Yeah? Yeah, like an hour.
Speaker 2: Man down in Florida doing your thing? Is that we
spent a lot of the off season in FLI lader do.
Speaker 3: Yeah, go back to my high school workout. You know,
that's where a lot of my family is. So that's nice.
That's nice.
Speaker 2: Congratulations on the great success.
Speaker 1: Congratulations on every time I look on social media like
up and coming top twenty five.
Speaker 2: Star, do you look at that kind of stuff where
you're like, oh, it's nice. I appreciate that.
Speaker 3: When I first got to the league, I would look
at it. It was exciting. Now it's like, at some point
you gotta go out there and do something, you know
what I mean, before you get it. So yeah, it's
exciting still though, but gotta do something.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're doing plenty of my man. I'm so happy
that your success so far. Everyone's asking me, is a
man gonna bring the ball up? Who I'm just gonna
do it. What have you been told?
Speaker 2: What do you think?
Speaker 1: And do you think it's gonna just organically, over the
course of the year kind of just settle its way
into who plays in what position?
Speaker 3: I think organically it's gonna settle, you know, before anything happened,
I think I was gonna get a little bit more
on ball reps too, yep, and Reed was too. So
I think it's just accelerated a little bit now on that.
Speaker 2: Do you think it's a situation?
Speaker 1: I mean, do you do you find yourself want the
ball more or do you can you do some things
to position yourself to score better when your ball is
not directly in your hands.
Speaker 3: I feel like I can. I'm very effective in both
aspects with the ball in my hands and then off
the ball too. So I'm definitely somebody that could play
with any lineup, you know, whoever's bringing the ball up,
you know what I mean? Yeah, how many?
Speaker 1: There are very few guys in this league that can
play four positions. I mean, you've got Kd's with you now,
who's done it quite a bit in his life as well,
But to master it. I love the fact that one
night you're starting point guard, you've been two guard, you've
been playing power forward to the dunker spot. Was that
always something that you dreamed of, to be that kind
of versatile player because it's trying to turn out that way.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I never dreamed about that. My first year I
played center for like offensively for the last twenty something games,
I never thought I was center. I played center my rookie.
Speaker 2: Year point center. Let's put center, let's go.
Speaker 3: I never thought I was. But I feel like it's
taught me how to, first off, be more versatile and
how to get myself open and others open to So
what with Fred of going?
Speaker 4: Of course, we know that he brought a lot of
both as kind of a like a coach on the
court and somebody who had a very good assistant turnover ratio.
What kind of things you think you can see what
he did or do you feel like there are things
that you can borrow kind of what he did to
to run the offense to try to help things transition
more smoothly.
Speaker 3: With him, Yeah, for sure. I mean I got to
pick his brain even more now, you know, try to
become that leader extension of coach on the floor. You know,
we got Katie for that too, and a lot of
that's it. I still want to get better at that
and the Sisters turnover thing. Nobody wants to get turned
over it. So, you know, if I could emulate Fred,
but freds one is the greatest to ever do it.
Speaker 2: In that you can't just snap your fingers and do it.
Speaker 3: I mean you can't just that, but I could be
conscious of it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but you also want to stay within yourself.
Speaker 3: I said with myself. Yeah, for sure, I think.
Speaker 2: Fred's gonna be screaming at you all year long.
Speaker 3: You know this, right, you assistant coach. So he did
the last two years. Yeah, that's all good.
Speaker 2: I mean there are there are worse guys to be yelling.
Speaker 1: I mean the guy and that's the thing about him
and d Dylan was that those were guys that were
ready to beat their chest, scream at you, yell at you.
But it was all in love. And now you may
take some of that role on now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean Fred Fred was always like I mean,
top professional at it, like he's you never feel away
after Fred yells at you. You know, you know, you
know what Fred wants to you, and you're ready to
go to war with Fred. So I mean, it's gonna
be the same thing. He's just gonna be on the sideline,
but I know he's gonna still have that that impact
for sure.
Speaker 2: What is that like for you?
Speaker 4: It's part of the Rockets culture with Udoka, with Fred
and with you being part of that as well. It's
kind of like, you know, this day and age, you
don't see a lot of like hard coaching or or
like you said, yelling and stuff like that, but it
just seems like it's well embraced by this team.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't feel like it's as much yelling as
people think. It's really good. It's it's stern. You know
they're gonna get the message across. But it's not. It's
not like he's just yelling like some college like cursing
me out, calling names like. It's all respectful and I
feel like our guys take it really well too.
Speaker 2: So I just love the blank talking y'all make all
during the whole year. I just it's it's so inspirational.
I mean, and you're not bad guys, you just don't
get in our way.
Speaker 3: Yeah, for sure. I mean I feel like you gotta
be able to turn it on on the court. I
was telling everybody mutch of nice guys.
Speaker 2: You know, Oh, y'all are sweet heroes, Like.
Speaker 3: It's a nice guys. But on the court, you know,
we want we want to win, obviously, and sometimes that
shows and different ways.
Speaker 2: So do you see titter at all during the off
season anymore?
Speaker 3: No, I ain't see vacation with him. No, No, we're
probably in the same place.
Speaker 4: What was your reaction when you heard Kevin Durant as
a Houston Rocket.
Speaker 3: My reaction was like, very excited, you know, getting Katie
because it's dude, I'll watched my whole life, you know,
one of the best ever. So yeah, that was my
original reaction. Reaction.
Speaker 1: Yeah, any age references, he's you know, he's turning thirty
seven years old today.
Speaker 2: You get him a cane or something.
Speaker 3: Nah, I mean I probably one of the top thirty
seven year olds whatever. Oh, I would think all maybe
the number one thirty seven year old probably ever. So
I think he's good.
Speaker 1: To me and I don't know at all at this point.
But it's it's much about basketball. It's very little let's
get on social media and do a bunch of stuff.
It's just very much a business for him because I
think he wants to play into his forties, and you
have to have that kind of suppl if you're going
to play as long as he's going wants to play
at least.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I feel like from the be still here,
you know, he's obviously super about his crowds, and then
you hear that, and then you see it, and you
see how he goes through every rep and he's going
through it like like he's really trying to get better.
Still then like how much better can you get at
that point? You know what I mean? But he's doing
it so it's like inspirational to watch for.
Speaker 1: I let your run. You and Austar have a call
to your mom and dad. First one of the NBA
finals gets a special gift.
Speaker 3: Or something my dad is my dad has you know,
I can't even say this on on the camera. I
can't give y'all stuff, but I mean, hopefully I get
to the finals first, that's all I say.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're going to be in our place very early
in the season.
Speaker 3: I know. I'm man. I wanted to like he's into
the season before I kill him, you know what I mean.
I don't want to just off. That's very nice of you.
Speaker 2: You know, but you'll hug it out after the game.
Speaker 3: I'm hugging before. I'm like, I'm sorry, I gotta do this,
but I like it. You know.
Speaker 2: How many times have be gone against each other in
your life?
Speaker 3: Not much, right, not much? Probably maybe a little over
ten times.
Speaker 2: Who has the Who has the advantage at this point?
Speaker 3: Oh he might have the event. I got the most
in the league, but he has the most in general.
Speaker 1: Well, late October, it's gotta change, change, all right. Men
Thompson with us here on the show. Thank you for
coming by, my friend. I appreciate it. Men Thompson joining
us hereous