After missing approximately six weeks with right ankle issues, it's been a struggle for veteran guard Fred VanVleet since his return to the Houston Rockets.
He's shooting below 36% overall in 11 games since that March 12 return, and in his last five games, he's shooting just 25.4% from the field and 25.0% from 3-point range.
Now, we know a possible reason. VanVleet sat out Wednesday's home game with Utah due to right ankle and knee soreness, and head coach Ime Udoka said it's an issue VanVleet will likely need to manage for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Per Udoka, VanVleet reported the soreness after back-to-back games earlier this week in Phoenix and Los Angeles. VanVleet was particularly ineffective in Monday's loss to the Lakers, during which he shot just 2-of-14 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range (14.3%).
The Rockets (49-27, No. 2 in the Western Conference standings) are still 9-2 in 11 games since VanVleet's return, which shows that the veteran floor general still provides some value. But clearly, VanVleet is capable of more, and perhaps some time off down the home stretch of the regular season will enable that.
Fred VanVleet is OUT for the Rockets tonight. Ime Udoka said VanVleet felt some k we and ankle soreness after the back-to-back and he’ll have to manage the pain for the rest of the season.
— Danielle Lerner (@danielle_lerner) April 2, 2025
During his initial season (2023-24) with the Rockets, VanVleet averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 41.6% overall and 38.7% from 3-point range. But his offensive numbers have dipped during an injury plagued second season, with averages of 14.3 points and 5.6 assists in 2024-25 while shooting 37.9% overall and 34.5% on 3-pointers.
The NBA's 2025 playoffs will begin on Saturday, April 19, and the Rockets would ideally like to have something closer to the peak version of VanVleet by that weekend.
VanVleet's status for this weekend's games (home vs. Oklahoma City on Friday and at Golden State on Sunday) is not yet known. In games without VanVleet, the Rockets will likely shift Amen Thompson from forward to point guard while starting Tari Eason at forward. This will allow Jabari Smith Jr. to stay in the sixth-man role that he's occupied since the All-Star break.
