The Rockets’ season took a hard left turn before it ever really got going, and Fred VanVleet’s injury was the reason. What was supposed to be a team built around a loaded starting group instead became a year of patchwork lineups, improvisation, and constant pressure on everyone else to do a little more than they should have had to.
That matters because VanVleet was brought to Houston for a very specific job: steady the offense, keep turnovers down, and give the Rockets a veteran who could run the show when possessions got messy. He did exactly that after arriving in free agency a few years ago, especially in his first season, when Houston put together one of its best years in a long time and VanVleet took care of the ball.
Last season, without him, the difference showed up everywhere. Houston ranked 24th in turnovers, its worst mark since VanVleet joined the team.
The season before, with him available, the Rockets sat 15th and gave the ball away more than a full turnover fewer per game. He also showed a side of his game that didn’t always get enough attention before Houston signed him, posting a career-high in assists in that first Rockets season and proving he could function as more than just a scorer.
The injury also forced Houston into some uncomfortable answers at point guard. Reed Sheppard got chances to start there at times, but for most of the year Amen Thompson handled lead-guard duties, even though that wasn’t the cleanest fit for the offense.
Thompson has played that role often enough before the NBA, and he kept growing through the season, but the Rockets still felt the absence of a true organizer. At times, Ime Udoka and his staff had to shift the burden onto Kevin Durant or Alperen Sengun to initiate from the top of the key, and the results were uneven.
That improvisation didn’t hold up well in the moments that mattered most. Houston had trouble in close games and in the playoffs, especially as opponents kept blitzing ball handlers more and more.
VanVleet’s return should help clean that up immediately. It also gives the Rockets a better shot to get back to normal everywhere else on the floor.
Thompson, in particular, should benefit. He has been at his best in the dunker spot from his forward position, and last season’s extra time at lead guard slowed down his offense at times.
With VanVleet back, Thompson can slide back into a more off-ball role, which should set him up for what could be a career year on that end.
The bench should look different too. Last season, it was the league’s worst group, but the additions of veterans like Marcus Smart and Bogdan Boganovich should help. So should having Sheppard and Tari Eason come off the bench instead of being forced into starting roles while VanVleet was sidelined.
There’s still work for Houston to do. The team needs to shoot better, communicate better defensively, play faster, and build better chemistry. But getting VanVleet back gives the Rockets their on- and off-court leader again, and that alone should make life a lot easier than it was last season.
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Kyrie And KD Reunion Buzz Just Hit A Nerve For Mavericks Fans
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have shared plenty of basketball history, and the conversation around them picked up again ahead of an NBA exhibition game between the Rockets and Mavericks. The two former teammates exchanged mutual praise, with Durant singling out Irvings skill set and Irving returning the compliment, a reminder of how naturally their names still travel together whenever one of them is in the spotlight.
For Houston fans, it is mostly background noise attached to a game on the schedule, but it has stirred the kind of chatter that tends to follow Irving wherever he goes. His future has been a topic of speculation, and any reunion talk with Durant tends to get louder fast, even as Irvings current focus remains on Dallas and the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Suddenly Linked To A De'Aaron Fox Move That Changes Everything
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For Houston, that has created an unexpected watch item around DeAaron Fox, whose fit with the Rockets would be obvious on paper and sudden in practice. A deal of this size would ripple well beyond one roster swap, reshaping the guard picture in San Antonio and putting Houston in the middle of a conversation it did not seem to be having just days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Faces Growing Pressure In Houston For One Big Reason
Kevin Durant arrived in Houston with the kind of rsum that usually quiets a room, not complicates it, and on paper he has delivered like the centerpiece the Rockets hoped for. He led the team last season with 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists while earning All-NBA Second Team honors, a reminder that his production is still elite even as the franchise tries to sort out its long-term direction around him.
Still, Durants presence has come with a heavier conversation attached, one that has lingered through the offseason as trade speculation keeps circling. Houston is expected to keep him at least through next summer, but the larger question is how much of the Rockets leadership load he should be asked to carry once the roster is back to full strength, especially with Fred VanVleets return giving the team another experienced voice in the mix. [Read more 🡒]