Devastating injury removes Rockets from contender status

Fred VanVleet, the Rockets' starting point guard for the last two seasons, suffered an ACL tear which will likely keep him out for the entire 2025-26 season. It's a huge blow to the title chances for a team that was already light on ball handlers.

VanVleet (14.1 points, 5.6 assists) was Houston's primary ball handler and assists leader last season and averaged 18.7 points and 3.9 three-pointers per game on 43.5% shooting. He's also one of the team's veteran leaders, having had extensive playoff experience with the Toronto Raptors, with whom he won a title in 2019.

The Rockets don't have a ready replacement for VanVleet

Houston added Dorian Finney-Smith, Kevin Durant and Clint Capela over the summer — all forwards and centers — while losing guard Jalen Green and winger Dillon Brooks. Now, its options at point guard come down to veteran Aaron Holiday (5.5 points, 1.3 assists last season) and second-year guard Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick from the 2024 draft.

Holiday is a solid backup, but played just 12.8 minutes per game last season and only 27 total minutes during the playoffs. Sheppard is a top prospect, but he spent a large part of last season in the G League, averaging 4.4 points and 1.4 assists in the NBA. Now, he'll likely be thrust into huge responsibilities and increased playing time, whether he's ready for it or not.

Amen Thompson is the wild-card option at point

Amen Thompson also has ball handling and passing skills, but he's not at all polished in that area. He averaged 3.8 assists against two turnovers last year, but his biggest issue is that he has no outside shot. Last season, Thompson shot worse than 28% on shots further than 16 feet from the hoop.

Using Thompson as the point guard has limitations on offense, but it might allow the Rockets to deploy their most talented lineups, ones featuring Durant along with Tari Eason and Finney-Smith. They can also run the offense through All-Star center Alperen Sengun, though he also has limited shooting range.

Another issue is that Houston has limited depth even at shooting guard, where the departed Green and Brooks played the majority of the minutes last season. The Rockets are going to make it hard for other teams to dribble and pass the ball with their swarming defense, but they'll have trouble doing both of those things themselves.

It will be a challenge for the entire Rockets organization. Head coach Ime Udoka already struggled to create a dynamic offense even with VanVleet. 37-year-old Durant may have to become a creator as well as a scorer and Sheppard will have to grow up fast.

But without VanVleet, it's hard to see the Rockets getting past the ball-hawking Oklahoma City Thunder, who led the league in steals and forcing turnovers last season. If they're serious about winning a title this season, the Rockets may need to get serious about trading for another guard.