The 2025-26 season could not have started worse for the Houston Rockets. In fact, even before it began, the Rockets watched Fred VanVleet suffer an ACL tear that would sideline him for the entire year, and which, in a roster already short at point guard, turned everything upside down. And no matter how many options were sought, no matter how many patches were tried, the team’s offensive performance never stopped feeling the strain.
That is why the return of the Canadian is so exciting. During Media Day, the guard wanted to send an optimistic message and expressed confidence that his comeback could help the rest of the team reach their best version, as it would allow everyone to return to their natural role and bring the experiments to an end. Which, added to the individual progress from last year, might finally enable these Rockets to take the leap they have been missing.
“The group learned a lot during last season, and those experiences are always valuable, even when they arrived in very tough moments, and I think we can all agree there were some very bad ones,” he said. “But I believe now everyone can return to their natural role, and we can do a better job of placing each player in the position that allows them to give their best version.”
“The team was built to have me and Steven (Adams) on the floor, not on the bench in street clothes. So now there are many aspects where things are finally going to be as they were supposed to be when the roster was designed.”
we missed you, @FredVanVleet 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ueNEHSak7V
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) September 22, 2026
VanVleet also had the chance to talk about his recovery period, which ended up lasting a year, even though at one point a possible return during the previous season was speculated. The guard acknowledged that there were hard moments, but he feels thrilled to be back and trusts he will regain pace as the weeks go by.
“I’ve been making progress. These things don’t always go as planned or as you’d like, but being this close to the start of the regular season is a great feeling. Twelve months ago I couldn’t walk, so I’d say I’m doing pretty well right now. But it’s going to be a long process. I’m sure the version you’ll see in the early games won’t be the final one.”
