After missing the entirety of the 2025-2026 season following an ACL injury, Fred VanVleet is gearing up for his return to competition. VanVleet is expected to step back into to his role as the team’s starting point guard.

On a recent episode of his podcast, Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green conveyed that the Rockets should benefit from VanVleet returning to the court. Green has been outspoken about all opponents, but in this case, it was positive.

When the Raptors won the championship in 2019, VanVleet was on the other side, as Green's Warriors were hit with significant injuries to now-Rocket Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Then, VanVleet was a the second backcourt ball-handler behind Kyle Lowry, but now he's counted on to be a starter for Houston.

"You pull the point guard out of the equation, who’s also the leader of that team, Fred VanVleet. That’s brutal. You go pull the point guard off of any team in the NBA, I don’t know if they’re going to compete at a high level. You pull the point guard off our team (Stephen Curry), we know what happens… everything crumbles.”

With VanVleet on the sidelines, the Rockets finished with a 52-30 record and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Notably, Kevin Durant was also unavailable for the majority of Houston’s series against the Los Angeles Lakers, but it was clear that the Rockets would have struggled getting into offense even if he'd been healthy.

Point Guard Options

While VanVleet is positively noted for his leadership style, the 32-year-old guard has shown a steady decrease in scoring volume since his lone All-Star selection in 2022. For the 2024-2025 season, he averaged 14.1 points per game.

After VanVleet, there’s an argument to be made that incoming third-year player Reed Sheppard is ready for a bigger role within Houston's rotation. Sheppard averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals over 82 games last season, earning a top-10 finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Defensive specialist Marcus Smart is another guard that can make an impact from off the bench. Smart averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game over 62 games last season. He has a prior working relationship with head coach Ime Udoka from their time together on the Boston Celtics.

In terms of development, Udoka may need to consider finding meaningful playing time for rookie Bruce Thornton. He had dominant performances in Summer League action, averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game.

Since the Rockets are looking to elevate their profile within a Western Conference filled with potential title contenders, VanVleet seems to be the safest option to start for a playoff-hopeful franchise.

Due to the overall strength of the starting lineup, Houston’s biggest positional need remains at point guard despite VanVleet’s upside. The situation will need to continue to be monitored as the season unfolds.