The Houston Rockets face a significant test tonight in Minneapolis. At 43-28, they sit sixth in the Western Conference, trailing the fifth-place Minnesota Timberwolves by one game in the standings.
A win will pull them within half a game of the Timberwolves, while a loss drops them further behind in a crowded playoff picture with 11 games remaining. The worst part, probably, is that they will have to navigate this matchup without their starting point guard, Fred VanVleet.
VanVleet has not played a single game this season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during an unofficial team workout in late September, just before training camp opened. The injury jeopardized what was expected to be a championship-caliber season for Houston following the offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant.
Fred VanVleet Shows Progress in ACL Recovery
The 32-year-old veteran point guard underwent surgery shortly after sustaining the tear. ACL injuries typically require 9–12 months of recovery before a player returns to full competition, which initially suggested he would miss the entire 2025–26 campaign.
Six months removed from surgery, VanVleet has progressed to on-court work, though he remains far from game action. Rockets coach Ime Udoka provided an update before Monday’s game in Chicago, offering a realistic assessment of where VanVleet stands.
“Shooting, cutting, moving, non-contact,” Udoka said of VanVleet’s current activity level. “That’s pretty much the extent of the on-court. Right around the six-month mark, and you can start to ramp up things, but no contact at any point soon, or nothing we’re looking forward to, honestly. Obviously, you’re not looking at playing if you’re not getting on the court and making contact, this late in the season.”
VanVleet himself addressed his recovery on a recent episode of his podcast, “Unguarded,” where he struck a cautiously optimistic tone while refusing to close the door entirely.
“I’m about five, five and a half months, almost six months now,” VanVleet said. “So, I’m getting there. I’m getting stronger. I’m getting better. I’m moving around a lot better. I’m getting some good on-court workouts. I think a lot of the predictions of where I was going to be were made pre-surgery, so we’ve had to adjust that timeline as things go on.”
He added that he’s keeping his options open: “Selfishly, I’m always going to keep my window open. I’m not going to come on here and tell you, ‘Oh, I’m not coming back,’ and then I come back like, ‘Oh, surprise.’ But I’m not ruling it out, and I’m not saying I’m coming back.”
In fact, just a few days back, on the same podcast, he vowed to “come back better than I ever been.”
How the Houston Rockets Have Struggled Without VanVleet
VanVleet’s absence has exposed a significant weakness in Houston’s roster construction. The Rockets average 15.7 turnovers per game, the fourth-highest mark in the NBA.
Udoka has rotated through options at the point, primarily relying on Amen Thompson and second-year guard Reed Sheppard, while Alperen Sengun has absorbed much of the playmaking burden from the center position. Sheppard has shown flashes since being moved into the starting lineup, averaging 16.2 points and 4.5 assists as a starter.
But the lack of a seasoned floor general has been glaring in crunch-time situations. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith articulated what many around the league have observed.
“The point guard was so important to the Houston Rockets that I came into this season saying that had Fred VanVleet not gone down, I would have had them as a title favorite because that’s how much I believe in who they are and what they can do if you have a point guard,” Smith said. “If you don’t have a floor general, and it’s inexplicable to me why they didn’t go out and make sure they got a point guard throughout this entire season.”
Houston’s inability to address the position at the trade deadline now looms over its postseason outlook. With the playoffs less than a month away, the Rockets will have to rely on their young guards and collective playmaking to navigate a brutal Western Conference bracket, all while VanVleet watches from the sideline. The tip-off against Minnesota is scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
