The Houston Rockets entered the summer of 2025 with high-end expectations after a 52-win campaign that was a clear step forward for the organization. Then, the Rockets leaned even further into a win-now posture with a blockbuster trade to land future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant at a relatively modest cost in a deal with the Phoenix Suns. As such, the Rockets were seemingly poised to enter training camp as the consensus No. 2 team in the Western Conference and with legitimate NBA title hopes.
Unfortunately, Houston will not be entering training camp at full strength after the news that starting point guard Fred VanVleet will miss the 2025-26 season after suffering a torn ACL. While VanVleet is far from Houston's best player, the 31-year-old guard was (very) high on the list of the team's most irreplaceable pieces. After all, the Rockets are loaded with depth on the wing and in the frontcourt, but at the point guard position, Houston's backup options are far less proven.
In addition, VanVleet is one of the team's most proven outside shooters, knocking down 37.1 percent of his 3-point attempts on high volume throughout his nearly decade-long NBA career. The loss of VanVleet could also be felt on the defensive end, as the wily veteran has been consistently able to offset his physical limitations with toughness and execution.
Houston is also up against a first-apron hard cap, meaning that the Rockets cannot add more than approximately $1.2 million in salary. As such, the Rockets cannot even sign a veteran minimum contract right now without making another move to shed salary, and that reality was already impacting Houston as recently as when the Atlanta Hawks moved to sign N'Faly Dante to an unconventional offer sheet, knowing the Rockets could not legally match it.
With that as the backdrop, the Rockets could still make trades between now and opening night, but it is reasonable to at least project Houston to roll into the season with what they have on the roster. That sets up an interesting situation, and here is a look at what the team's starting lineup and depth chart may look like without VanVleet in the mix.
Rockets traditional depth chart
As with any NBA team at this juncture in 2025, the "traditional" depth chart positions don't always match what lineups will look like. Houston was already a prime example of this with players like Thompson and Smith Jr. playing versatile roles, but the VanVleet injury magnifies that malleability.
- PG -- Reed Sheppard, Aaron Holiday, JD Davison (Two-Way), Fred VanVleet (Injured)
- SG -- Amen Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevon Harris (Two-Way)
- SF -- Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jae'Sean Tate, Isaiah Crawford (Two-Way)
- PF -- Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Jeff Green, Cameron Matthew (Ex. 10)
- C -- Alperen Şengün, Steven Adams, Clint Capela
Rockets starting lineup
Houston's starting lineup was already something of a question heading into the season. To be fair, four spots seemed to be locked up between VanVleet, Durant, Alperen Şengün, and Amen Thompson, but the fifth spot was very much up in the air. That continues to be the case now, particularly with the reality that Sheppard is a completely unproven player at the NBA level.
Broadly speaking, Sheppard, Holiday, and Thompson should be able to fill the 48 minutes at point guard. A lot of Houston's fates could swing on how ready Sheppard is at this stage, particularly given that Holiday is not a primary initiator, and it would be asking a lot of Thompson to play him as anything approaching a full-time point guard. Sheppard was the No. 3 pick only 15 months ago, however, and Houston does have a substantial investment in his progress. He was already projected to make a supporting impact this season, but the expectations are now greater for the young guard. On the positive side, the Rockets do have both Durant and Sengun to run offense through when needed, but VanVleet's steady hand will be missed.
Of note, it is difficult to fully project Houston's opening night starting five, so take it with a grain of salt, but here is an estimate for the time being.
G - Reed Sheppard
G - Amen Thompson
F - Kevin Durant
F - Jabari Smith Jr.
C - Alperen Şengün