With Fred VanVleet Out, What Do the Rockets Do?

The year in 2025 Houston sports continues apace with the Astros close to missing the playoffs amid a record number of injuries, the Texans starting their season 0-3, and now it is being widely reported that Rockets starting point guard Fred VanVleet could miss the entire season with a torn ACL, which happened this summer.

Fans said over the weekend the combination of Astros and Texans news couldn’t be much worse for Houston. Houston Sports said, “Hold my beer.”

With training camp opening next week, what exactly can the Rockets do? While VanVleet’s numbers don’t jump off the screen, when he was absent, the Rockets often looked lost on offense. He remains one of the best assist-to-turnover guards in the NBA on a team that really cut down on turnovers last season under his leadership. He is also the de facto coach on the floor, which is the main reason the team re-signed him to a two-year, $50 million deal in the offseason.

On the cusp of what could be one of the most interesting and exciting years in team history thanks to the trade for Kevin Durant, we get this very early lump of coal in our stockings. Bah humbug.

The Rockets cannot sign anyone at the moment.

If you’re thinking, “Hey, they can go grab a veteran to fill VanVleet’s Li Nings,” not so fast. The Rockets are over the tax apron, which means they are unable to sign anyone, even a veteran for the minimum, without first clearing salary, which is unlikely to happen given their roster. The next timeframe they will have to make a move would be in January.

Next Up: Amen Thompson?

The natural move here would be to put Thompson at the point, but is that the best option for the team? Thompson is still young and not a classic point guard or advanced passer. His size makes him formidable defensively at the position, but it might not be best for him on offense. At the ends of games, is Thompson the guy you want with the ball in his hands calling plays?

More importantly, the trickle down impact of Thompson moving to point could be significant. He is going to start, for certain, but he seemed like an ideal candidate for shooting guard or small forward, where he can play off other playmakers and defend anyone. This could negate that.

Next Next Up: Reed Sheppard?

The second-year guard has the right toolbox to be the point, but is he ready? He only played sporadically last season, mainly due to the fact that the one thing he seemed to have that was NBA-ready (his shooting) turned out to be a tad unrefined. If his shooting improves, he does have the kind of passing ability teams love at the point, but will Coach Ime Udoka trust him in key moments? If this is truly a championship contender, do you want that in the hands of a second-year guy who barely played as a rookie?

Next Next Next Up: Aaron Holiday

Bringing back the veteran Holiday now seems like a genius move now. While you wouldn’t want him playing big minutes, he makes smart plays, shoots well and is a surprisingly tough defender. It would probably be a surprise if he started, but they are going to need him more than they would have if FVV was healthy.

So, where does that leave the team?

At this point, it will likely be point by committee until they can find some kind of groove. The hope is that Thompson takes yet another step toward stardom, Sheppard turns a corner in his sophomore season, and Holiday gives the team quality minutes when needed. The Rockets do indeed have depth on this team, which helps. It just so happens that their most tenuous depth was behind VanVleet.

Houston sports, man.