Fred VanVleet's ACL Injury

Fred VanVleet missed the 2025-2026 season after an acl injury.

Draymond Green's View

Draymond Green said the rockets would benefit from vanvleet returning to the court.

“you pull the point guard out of the equation, who’s also the leader of that team, fred vanvleet. that’s brutal. you go pull the point guard off of any team in the nba, i don’t know if they’re going to compete at a high level. you pull the point guard off our team (stephen curry), we know what happens… everything crumbles”

2019 Championship Context

VanVleet was a second backcourt ball-handler behind kyle lowry in 2019 when the rockets won the championship.

Rockets' 2025-2026 Record

With vanvleet on the sidelines, the rockets finished with a 52-30 record and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Point Guard Options

Reed Sheppard and Marcus Smart are potential point guard options for the rockets.

Reed Sheppard's Stats

Sheppard averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals over 82 games last season.

Marcus Smart's Stats

Smart averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game over 62 games last season.

Rookie Bruce Thornton

Rookie Bruce Thornton had dominant summer league performances, averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game.

VanVleet's Role

VanVleet is expected to step back into his role as the team’s starting point guard.