ESPN Analyst Explains Why Rockets Don't Need to Replace Fred VanVleet

The Houston Rockets' season has gotten off to a bit of a bumpy start before the team has even taken the court, as starting floor general and captain Fred VanVleet suffered a season-ending knee injury, leaving Houston desperate for a substitute.

The problem? Houston can't really replace VanVleet, due to a myriad of reasons. For one, they don't have the financial resources without trading a core member of their team.

Doing so would rid themselves of either Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, or Reed Sheppard -- none of whom would be ideal. The Rockets are only $1.2 million away from being hard-capped, which isn't enough to offer the vet minimum.

But even if it was, the Rockets don't have a vacant roster spot to offer.

Houston's options open up drastically on Dec. 15, when they can trade any of their newly-signed players (or re-signed players) over the summer. But do the Rockets really need to resort to that pathway?

According to ESPN's Tim Legler, they don't, as Legler referenced the Boston Celtics as a team in a similar situation as Houston, on the All-NBA podcast.

"Do you really need that quintessential lead guard like a guy like Fred VanVleet? I look at a team like Boston. In Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, neither one of those guys is really a traditional lead guard.

They’re just good players. Most of their offense initiation, even whether it’s ISO or ball screen, came from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. They’re forwards.

Legler added that the Rockets really just need a point guard capable of providing floor spacing, which he believes Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday could fit the bill.

This is somewhat similar to what the Rockets are planning on doing, at least according to coach Ime Udoka. They're going to utilize a combination of players to handle the playmaking and facilitating, including Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Durant, and Sengun.

There's no one-for-one replacement on the roster. And there likely won't be after Dec. 15, either.

Sengun is one of the best passing bigs in the league, hence the comparisons to Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis. And Durant has underrated playmaking chops, because he often draws multiple defenders, due to his offensive gravity, leaving an open shooter or cutter.

Holiday seems unlikely to get much of VanVleet's workload, as he's been utilized as an emergency fill-in, although he'll surely get an uptick in minutes. Sheppard's ability to shoot (at least in college) is going to go a long way for the Rockets.

So maybe Legler is right. At least, we'll find out.