Fred VanVleet’s return gives the Rockets more than a healthy body. It hands Houston back the kind of steady hand that was sorely missing last season.
After missing the 2025-26 campaign with a torn ACL and meniscus suffered before training camp, VanVleet was back on the floor Wednesday for the opening practice of camp, fully participating and moving closer to a return for the 2026-27 season. He said he expects to play when the Rockets open their preseason schedule on Friday, Oct. 9.
For VanVleet, the year away from live action made one thing plain: being on the sideline was no substitute for competing.
“Not being able to be out there with the guys, at least suffering with them - and just kind of sitting there watching as a spectator - was tough for me,” VanVleet said at the team’s media day press conference on Tuesday.
That frustration came during a season in which Houston also lost backup center Steven Adams to a season ending ankle injury in January and forward Kevin Durant during the first round of the playoffs. VanVleet spent the year in a different role, functioning almost like an extra assistant coach for Ime Udoka. He liked being able to help his younger teammates, but the competitive side never really went away.
The Rockets know exactly what they were missing.
VanVleet’s value has never been limited to points or assists. In Houston, he has been a stabilizer, the “floor general” teammates lean on when the game gets messy.
That mattered in his first two seasons with the Rockets, when his leadership helped bring some order to a team still searching for its identity after James Harden’s departure. It mattered even more last season, when the offense too often lost its shape late in games.
Houston finished among the NBA’s worst teams in turnover rate at 15.7%, ranking No. 27.
The season before, with VanVleet running the offense, the Rockets were at 14.0% and ranked No. 11.
That gap tells the story. When VanVleet was out, the ball-handling burden shifted to younger players like Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, and the late-game execution slipped with it.
“At times last year, we were just trying to figure it out, and it didn’t always look the greatest,” VanVleet said.
“So, I think this year you’ll see a little bit more concerted effort of just playing better ball, getting ourselves in the right spots and in the right positions, a little more organized. That is easier to do with guys that are intended to be on the court.”
Udoka saw the cost of that inconsistency up close. Houston had a habit of letting games slip after building big advantages, and that was one of the season’s biggest frustrations. Of the Rockets’ 30 losses, they held a double-digit lead in 18.
VanVleet’s presence should help in exactly those moments. He understands pace, spacing and where everyone is supposed to be.
He can calm things down when the offense starts to drift, and he can help organize the group on the defensive end too. In other words, he brings structure.
That matters even more because the Rockets are not just getting back a player - they’re getting back the voice.
“The way to put yourself in championship contention is one step at a time,” VanVleet said. “We have more than enough talent on this roster to compete for a championship, but that is a long way away.”
VanVleet, 32, has been through enough to know what pressure feels like and what it takes to handle it. The undrafted guard from Wichita State built his career on work, toughness and consistency, first in Toronto and then in Houston. Now he’s back after a serious injury, ready to reclaim the role that made him so important in the first place.
“I like pressure, so I’m not running from that,” VanVleet said when asked about his return. “It’s not that simple, quite frankly, but I think we will look like a different group.
My identity is not tied to the result, but I’m confident that it’ll look better. I’m confident we’ll have a more together approach, and it’ll look like a better product.
I’m confident that I can bring that.”
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