The Houston Rockets went all-in this summer, trading for Kevin Durant and hoping they can build on the team that finished second in the Western Conference last season. Yet, it seems like everything is crashing down even before the season starts. The latest news by Shams Charania is that Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL, which means he will most likely miss all of next season. VanVleet signed a team-friendly option this summer, allowing the Rockets to make better use of their payroll. Without him, their chances to compete for a championship will fall drastically.
Houston Rockets Suffer Early Setback to their Title Hopes
While the Houston Rockets have plenty of stars and budding young talent like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, VanVleet might be their most important player. He is their only proven point guard who can orchestrate the offense and make plays for others.
Without their floor general, the Rockets might have to give more minutes to Aaron Holiday or bet on huge improvements from their second-year lottery pick, Reed Sheppard. Before the injury to VanVleet, the Rockets had the fifth-best title odds according to ESPN at +850. The only teams with a better chance to win the title were the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks.
Can the Rockets Use Turkey’s Formula?
This summer, the Turkish national basketball team made the Finals at the FIBA EuroBasket by running their offense through Sengun. He proved to be one of the best players at the tournament and quite capable of making plays.
Sengun has averaged five and 4.9 assists the last two seasons, showing he can be a hub on offense. The Rockets might try to copy the formula of the Denver Nuggets, who run almost everything through Nikola Jokic. For years, experts have been comparing the two, and the latest injury might force their hand to try to use Sengun more on the offensive side.
Can they Find Outside Help?
The problem for the Rockets is that the injury comes deep into the offseason, when most players have already signed with new teams. Looking at the available free agent guards, there are not many quality options.
One possibility would be to sign Elfrid Payton, who had a decent stretch with the New Orleans Pelicans last season. When the Pelicans had almost no players, Payton came in and averaged 8.1 assists, showing great vision and capability to run an offense. He might not bring the shooting and scoring like VanVleet, but he can get good shots for teammates.
Another option would be to sign Russell Westbrook. In Houston, the team has plenty of wings that can cover for Westbrook’s defensive liability. And if anything, Westbrook is a guy who gives everything and plays with heart. It would be a return for the former MVP, who previously played one season in Houston. There are other guards on the market, but not many of them are great playmakers.
We also have to note that the Rockets have 15 players on guaranteed contracts for next season. To get another player, they will have to waive someone or trade a player without getting anything back. Training camp opens on September 29th. That is less than a week. We will have to see what the Rockets do in the following days to compensate for the loss of VanVleet. His injury is a huge blow to their title chances.
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