{"id":161951,"date":"2025-10-09T09:24:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T13:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=161951"},"modified":"2025-10-09T09:24:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T13:24:44","slug":"rockets-ball-handling-crisis-replace-fred-vanvleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/09\/rockets-ball-handling-crisis-replace-fred-vanvleet\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Ball-Handling Crisis: How Houston Plans to Replace Fred VanVleet"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Houston Rockets\u2019 preseason optimism took a sharp hit these days after news broke that starting point guard Fred VanVleet<\/a> had torn his ACL<\/a>, sidelining him for the entire 2025-26 season. The veteran guard was expected to anchor Houston\u2019s playmaking and leadership. Now, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka faces his biggest challenge yet: rebuilding the team\u2019s offensive structure without its primary floor general.<\/p>\n

VanVleet sustained the injury<\/a> during a scrimmage before the team\u2019s second preseason game against the Utah Jazz. It\u2019s a devastating loss for a team that has invested heavily in him<\/a>. The 31-year-old had a rough regular season in 2024-25. However, he\u00a0averaged 17.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 38.7% from 3 the season prior, providing Houston with the veteran stability it had long lacked. Consequently, his absence not only affects scoring and distribution but also leadership.<\/p>\n

Rockets Ball-Handling Crisis: How Houston Plans to Replace VanVleet<\/h2>\n

The immediate response will be to give more responsibility to Amen Thompson<\/a>, the 21-year-old guard who has shown flashes of brilliance but also inconsistency. The No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, he averaged 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season, primarily off the bench.<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s greatest strength lies in his athleticism and defensive potential<\/a>. He\u2019s one of the fastest players on the court and can pressure opposing guards full-court. The challenge lies in half-court execution, where VanVleet excelled. Thompson\u2019s decision-making and shooting remain developmental areas, though Udoka and his staff have praised his growth throughout training camp.<\/p>\n

In a recent media session, Udoka revealed Thompson would get the first opportunity to run the offense, citing his energy and versatility. \u201cHe sees the floor well and plays with poise,\u201d Udoka says. \u201cNow it\u2019s about consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Thompson can make even a moderate leap in playmaking, Houston\u2019s transition-heavy style could remain effective. However, it will require patience and discipline from both the player and coaching staff.<\/p>\n

JD Davison: From Long Shot to Rotation Piece<\/h3>\n

Another name gaining traction is JD Davison<\/a>, who impressed in the team’s preseason opener<\/a> with 17 points, four assists, and a +13 plus-minus in 22 minutes against the Hawks.<\/p>\n

However, Davison had a quieter night in the team\u2019s second game against the Jazz, posting eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and one block in limited minutes. His reduced role didn\u2019t diminish his confidence or efficiency, and he remained aggressive attacking closeouts. The dip in playing time appeared to be more about rotation experimentation than performance.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Oct 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard JD Davison (4) dribbles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Coming to the Rockets after a G League MVP campaign<\/a>, Davison is currently on a two-way contract. His scoring burst and floor vision turned heads at training camp<\/a>, and with VanVleet\u2019s injury, his role could expand rapidly.<\/p>\n

Davison\u2019s aggressive scoring mindset complements Thompson\u2019s pass-first tendencies, giving Udoka the option to stagger their minutes or even play them together in small, high-energy lineups. Still, expecting Davison to replace VanVleet\u2019s veteran calm would be unfair. The focus will be on developing him as a reliable rotation guard capable of keeping the offense moving.<\/p>\n

The Veteran Presence: Kevin Durant\u2019s Role Grows<\/h3>\n

Ironically, VanVleet\u2019s injury could push Kevin Durant<\/a> into a more active playmaking role. Durant has averaged 5+ assists per game in four of his last five seasons and has already been seen facilitating in Houston\u2019s early offensive sets. His ability to read double-teams and create scoring opportunities for teammates could help offset the loss of a true point guard.<\/p>\n

Durant made his long-awaited preseason debut for Houston on Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz, leading the team with 20 points on efficient shooting. His offensive control stood out immediately, showing how seamlessly he can integrate without disrupting Alperen Sengun<\/a>\u2019s rhythm. Beyond scoring, Durant\u2019s passing out of isolations and secondary actions provided the kind of structure Houston needed in VanVleet\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

Udoka\u2019s system may evolve into a \u201ccommittee-style\u201d offense, where Durant,\u00a0Sengun, and Thompson share initiation duties. Sengun, who averaged 4.8 assists last season, further emphasized his court vision against Utah, recording a double-double with 13 points and 13 assists. That performance highlighted his readiness to assume a larger playmaking role in Rockets ball handling and offensive scheme.<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s no sugarcoating it: losing VanVleet changes everything. His steadiness, leadership, and command of pace were foundational to Udoka\u2019s plan. Without him, Houston must embrace experimentation and growth.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a silver lining, it\u2019s opportunity. Thompson can fast-track his development, Davison can earn trust, and the coaching staff can uncover new layers of creativity in their system.<\/p>\n

The Rockets ball handling problem won\u2019t be solved overnight. But if Houston create your own cohesion, this setback could become the defining test of the team\u2019s resilience and depth.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a9 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Houston Rockets\u2019 preseason optimism took a sharp hit these days after news broke that starting point guard Fred VanVleet had torn his ACL, sidelining him for the entire 2025-26 season. The veteran guard was expected to anchor Houston\u2019s playmaking and leadership. Now, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka faces his biggest challenge yet: rebuilding the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5653,"featured_media":162006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1608,62,3],"tags":[4703,1244,49349,69,4745,48967],"class_list":["post-161951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockets","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-amen-thompson","tag-fred-vanvleet","tag-jd-davison","tag-kevin-durant","tag-nba-injuries","tag-nba-preseason"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161951"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162007,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161951\/revisions\/162007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}