VanVleet Is Still The Rockets' Leader

The Houston Rockets have elevated their championship chances significantly in the first few days of the offseason. The expectations for next season are much higher than those from this past season, as the team now has a premier scorer in Kevin Durant, along with some rising stars in Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.

Despite the influx of talent being added to Houston's collection of talent, the Rockets can reach their potential only through the influence of strong coaching and leadership. They'll have strong coaching as Ime Udoka has established himself as one of the league's best coaches. They'll also have quality player leadership, as Fred VanVleet will continue providing that role for the team.

For the past two seasons, VanVleet and Dillon Brooks have been tasked with helping Udoka change the culture with the young players on the Rockets.

They had to make losing unacceptable, and had to help correct bad habits that led to losing.

Their efforts led to significant individual improvement in players like Sengun and Jalen Green, as well as improvement in the team's performance as more players bought into the vision.

VanVleet won't have to worry about bad habits next season. New addition, Kevin Durant, has some of the league's hardest work ethic when it comes to working on his craft, and it will likely transfer over to some of the young players on his team. However, he will still be in charge of directing the offense on the floor and keeping the team focused on a singular vision created by Udoka.

The young players will still trust VanVleet for his guidance as Houston became a winning team in just two seasons. The older players will respect VanVleet for his NBA success and his impact on winning. VanVleet is still a capable point guard who limits turnovers and can space the floor both off-the-dribble and on-the-catch.

He will still be looked at as a leader in the locker room despite more veteran players being added to the roster. He will likely be the team's vocal leader, as Durant prefers to lead by example. VanVleet is one of the most trusted players by the coaching staff, and the players respect him for his straightforwardness and focus on winning. He'll be a key part of the team's dynamic next season.