Rockets announce VanVleet and Adams out

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka announced Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams will not play in back-to-back games this season.

VanVleet and Adams injuries

VanVleet, 32, missed all of last season with a left leg injury, while Adams, 33, missed the final 42 games of the regular season and the entire postseason after left ankle surgery in January.

Rockets play 13 back-to-back sets

The Rockets are scheduled to play 13 sets of back-to-back games this season, with the first coming Friday and Saturday of opening week.

Smart named starter over Sheppard

Naming Smart the starter over Reed Sheppard when VanVleet is unavailable could be viewed as a minor surprise.

Smart's background

Smart, who signed a two-year, $12.4 million contract over the summer, is entering his 13th NBA season. He was a starter for Udoka’s Celtics team that reached the NBA Finals in 2022.

Sheppard's role

Sheppard appeared in all 82 regular-season games and six postseason games for the Rockets last season, and Udoka reiterated that the third-year guard will have a significant role during his third NBA campaign.

Udoka's role plan

Udoka told reporters: Come in and be a secondary (ball) handler. Play on and off ball. Be a spark plug every night.

“Come in and be a secondary (ball) handler, play on and off ball, be a spark plug every night”