The Houston Rockets were hit with a devastating injury with less than a month before the start of the NBA regular season.
It was revealed that All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet will miss the majority, if not all, of the 2025-26 season after suffering a torn ACL in training camp, senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported on Sept. 22.
The loss is a major setback for the Rockets, who upgraded their roster this offseason by trading for superstar forward Kevin Durant. Houston now must adjust as the team prepares to move forward without one of its leaders.
Ime Udoka says Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard will take on larger role in lineup
To begin another week of interviews with the press, Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka revealed the new game plan without Fred VanVleet.
"It'll be a committee," Udoka said. "Amen [Thompson], Reed [Sheppard], those guys were going to play a lot more, initiate a lot more, handle the ball a lot more anyway. That'll be expedited a bit."
Before it was revealed that VanVleet would miss an extended period of time, it was already known that 2024 No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard would be taking on a larger role on the team. Now, Amen Thompson will also be stepping up to the position for the Rockets.
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VanVleet will likely be missing the entire 2025-26 season. If this is the case, the Rockets will be without the 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals the veteran contributed in 2024-25.