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When the Rockets entered the free-hand realm with a $64 million margin on Friday afternoon, they had some goals outlined.
First of all, there was a natural need to improve the team on several fronts. Houston’s rebuilding approach had produced talented young players in Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Alperen Şengün, but something was still missing. Having won just 59 games over the past three seasons, it was clear there were flaws that needed to be addressed.
Shooting was one of those — an area deemed non-negotiable from talks between new head coach Ime Udoka and Rockets bosses. Another aspect was defensive versatility, an aspect that was sorely lacking. Most importantly, Houston needed a point guard. It needed a stabilizing presence. A leader. A connector.
Enter Fred VanVleet. The 29-year-old point guard reached an agreement to sign with Houston on Friday, team sources told The Athletic. The Rockets achieved their top free agent goal in the market and, more importantly, finally signed a veteran at basketball’s most important position and in their obvious gaping hole.
“I think it’s an emergency situation,” former ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy recently told The Athletic. “You need a point guard and competitors. He would bring the right experience, level of tenacity, and care factor that is so crucial to salvaging the league’s worst-loss franchise in three years.”
Houston’s offensive performances over the past two seasons have lacked cohesion and control, though there have been a number of players with advantages and moments here and there. The Rockets’ best attempts to step up their playmaking duties were to trade Kevin Porter Jr. and make him lead ball handler in addition to drafting Şengün. Sometimes, though rarely, it looked like it could work – Şengün’s natural selflessness and foresight on the pitch paired with Porter’s underrated and improving passing game. But like I said, those moments were fleeting. The Rockets mostly acted in a mess that was largely the fault of former head coach Stephen Silas, but in reality it was a roster problem.
Now that VanVleet is on board, the Rockets can finally transition from a team that has settled on the best player available to a team looking to improve quickly.
Since taking the job as head coach, Udoka has wasted no time restructuring the staff. He’s spent a lot of time with his new players while both parties continue to talk and learn about tendencies.
For weeks on the way to the free hand, the ongoing theme and message has been to find a senior ball handler. Of course, the Rockets recently drafted Overtime Elite’s Amen Thompson as the No. 4, an athletic, defensive star who plays the same position. But Houston has learned from the mistakes of the past two seasons. There’s no rush or desire to just throw Thompson in the fire and watch him fend for himself like Green and Smith had to do at times. The newcomer now has a great mentor and role model to watch and learn from as he develops his own game.
A quick look at VanVleet’s scoring stats suggests he had a bad year in 2022-23, and he did, from a shooting standpoint. Still, he averaged 7.2 assists per game, the highest mark of his career, and his importance in keeping Toronto’s offense going was unquestionable — the Raptors were nearly seven points better with VanVleet on the field per Cleaning the Glass, good for the 92nd percentile. From a gameplay standpoint, there are perhaps only a handful of better main ball players. VanVleet is patient but makes decisions quickly. His determination often saved a well-rehearsed Raptors team, and his leadership on the court is outstanding. On the other side of the ball, VanVleet remains one of the best attacking point defenders in its position, an impressive feat for an undersized guard. He moves his feet well, has great hands, foresight and above all intelligence. He’ll do wonders for a Rockets team that needs a facelift this side of the field, and will work well with a head coach at Udoka who bleeds defensive stops.
VanVleet’s presence immediately lifts the floor and ceiling of Houston’s young core. Combined with Udoka’s new offense, which will feature a lot more player movement and shifting, you can expect improved catch-and-shoot efficiency for players like Green (35.1 percent last season), Smith (29.4 percent) and expect an immediate partnership with Porter (43.5 percent). VanVleet should also be a good match with Şengün, a tall man with a high IQ and huge potential.
Now the fun begins. Still equipped with a decent amount of headroom, the Rockets still plan to play aggressively in the market. According to team and league sources, Houston is still on the hunt for Dillon Brooks and Brook Lopez as it continues to overhaul its roster. But now that their top target is in place, the Rockets can breathe a sigh of relief and attempt to climb back into NBA relevance.
(Photo: Troy Taormina / USA Today)