Fred VanVleet isn’t backing away from big expectations in Houston. If anything, he’s leaning into them.
After the Rockets put together a strong regular season without him and then fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, the veteran point guard said he believes Houston can go all the way next season. He pointed to the New York Knicks as proof that a team can surprise the league and make a deep run when few see it coming.
"I believe we can win a championship next year, but that's down the road. The journey leading up doesn't really matter. We just saw the Knicks pull it off… nobody expected them to do it,” VanVleet said.
Houston’s last season came with plenty of obstacles. VanVleet was out for the entire year, and the team also had to navigate injuries to superstar Kevin Durant. Even with those setbacks, Ime Udoka’s group still produced a stellar regular season before the playoff exit.
Now VanVleet is sounding optimistic about his own return, too. He said his recovery from the torn ACL in his right knee, suffered shortly before training camp, has stayed on schedule. He’s been working out every day, is getting closer to full basketball activity, and expects to be fully healthy for Houston’s first preseason game ahead of the 2026-27 season.
That timeline matters because the Rockets are entering next season with real championship aspirations. Durant gives them proven star power, VanVleet is expected to help run the offense again, and Houston’s young core keeps adding talent. Put it together, and the case for the Rockets as a title threat starts to look a lot more serious.
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Alperen Sengun Just Reached A Tense Point In His Rockets Rise
Alperen Sengun has already made the leap from promising young big man to consecutive All-Star, but the next step in his Rockets rise comes with a different kind of pressure. Entering his sixth NBA season at 23, he is no longer being evaluated as a prospect so much as a central piece of Houstons push to turn talent into real playoff progress, especially after a fifth season that brought some uneven stretches on both ends.
The Rockets know what they need from Sengun now: more consistency, cleaner decision-making and a steadier defensive presence as the young core tries to mature together. Marcus Smarts arrival in free agency only sharpens that expectation, giving Houston another veteran voice as it looks to build on recent postseason runs. For Sengun, the challenge is less about proving he belongs and more about showing he can carry the weight that comes with being one of the faces of the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Title Hopes May Hinge On One Missing Piece Around Amen And Sengun
The Rockets have spent the early part of this build trying to answer a bigger question than just how good Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun can become. The more interesting debate is whether those two can serve as the foundation for a title-level team if Houston finds the right structure around them, much like Denver did when it put its 2023 core in place. Sengun gives the offense a rare hub in the middle, Thompson brings the defensive versatility and connective play that can hold possessions together, and together they give Houston a real starting point.
What still hangs over the whole idea is the same issue that often separates a promising young team from a true contender: the Rockets need a creator who can finish games and bend defenses when everything tightens up. Rafael Stone and the front office are expected to keep looking for that kind of guard or wing, the sort of player who can take pressure off Sengun and Thompson and make the rest of the roster fit cleaner. Until Houston finds that missing piece, the ceiling feels exciting but unfinished. [Read more 🡒]