On Monday, the Houston Rockets picked up a 120-110 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. This keeps the Rockets at the top of the Western Conference standings with a 4-0 record.

Fred VanVleet contributed five points, four rebounds, and five assists, going 2-for-7 from the field. While his statline from Monday can be seen as underwhelming, VanVleet has had a positive influence as the Rockets’ starting point guard.

During postgame media availability, Hawks coach Quinn Snyder praised VanVleet’s impact as a leader.

“He’s such a unique leader. I have a ton of respect for him. He’s one of those guys, as a coach, that you can watch play and appreciate what he does… his playmaking ability is probably underrated as a defender. He’s not six-foot-six but he’s really tough. As I said, he impacts the game in so many ways as a leader.”

The Return

This season, VanVleet is averaging 8.3 points and 7.0 assists per game. He missed the latter part of Houston’s first back-to-back. This is an expected protocol for the early stretch of the season, as he was sidelined for the entirety of the 2025-26 season due to an ACL injury.

As alluded to by Snyder’s comment, VanVleet is noted for his veteran leadership on the court. He had a supporting role when the Toronto Raptors won an NBA championship in 2019, then went on to become a full-time starter and earn an All-Star selection in 2022.

Since the Rockets are undefeated early in the season, it can feel hypercritical to suggest that a change is needed to reach a championship-caliber level. The likes of Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. have all performed as elite scorers, with VanVleet being a top facilitator behind the team’s recent success.

One concern is that VanVleet has continued to show a decline in scoring volume since his All-Star selection in 2022. While the 32-year-old is an exceptional defender and has not needed to be a top option as a scorer at this point, the question is whether he can still rise to the occasion when the situation calls for a surge.

Overall, VanVleet has made a strong impression during the first week of the new season and has had a presence as a leader. Despite all the upsides, his position as the starting point guard is the most vulnerable compared with those of the team’s other starters.