Rockets 2026-2027 player previews: Fred VanVleet

With the move, the Rockets were expected to be a favorite in the 25-26 season, bringing back three of their five starters and coming off their first playoff appearance since 2020. Adding Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, and Fred VanVleet should have given the Rockets one of the NBA's best starting lineups. But that's not what happened for the Rockets last season.

As the Rockets prepared to start day one of their 2025 training camp, VanVleet suffered a major injury during an offseason workout. At the time, no one knew if it would be season-ending, but the Rockets realized VanVleet would be out for a long time, at the very least. The Rockets prepared as if VanVleet would not see the floor for at least the entire regular season.

As the season went on, two things became clear to everyone following the Rockets. First, the Rockets lacked a suitable replacement for their veteran point guard. The Rockets at times had Reed Sheppard take over as the starting point guard, but for the most part, Amen Thompson was the lead guard, a position he did play frequently before entering the NBA.