NBA Analyst says the quiet part out loud about devastating Fred VanVleet injury

As the Houston Rockets prepare to enter the 2025-26 NBA season, their loss of Fred VanVleet to an ACL injury he suffered in a team mini-camp could potentially be disastrous.

Yet, Kevin O'Connor, Yahoo Sports' Senior NBA Analyst, has revealed where the silver lining might be in this catastrophe on the latest episode of his podcast, claiming that, while VanVleet's loss lowers the floor for the Rockets given his veteran experience, it also raises their ceiling.

While there still remains a healthy amount of uncertainty around whether players such as Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun can take the necessary leap in their playmaking abilities, O'Connor claims that this team can still be exceedingly dangerous if they are able to do so.

Fred VanVleet's injury could result in a whole new outlook for the Rockets

Make no mistake, VanVleet, with his championship experience and floor general capabilities, is much more important to Houston than the statistics would indicate. Last season, through 60 games, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 34.5% from 3-point range.

Yet, at many times last season his playmaking capabilities were the only thing keeping the Rockets' half-court offense going, and his loss means that, even with their acquisition of Kevin Durant, the team will need to figure out a new offensive structure in order to compete.

According to O'Connor, however, sliding Thompson into the point guard slot could provide the team with a whole new look on offense: "I think losing Fred VanVleet both lowers their floor and raises their ceiling. It lowers their floor because he's steady... But it also raises their ceiling in the sense that VanVleet has his limitations. He doesn't get to the basket. He's a small guard. He is statistically one of the least efficient clutch scorers in the NBA in the last four or five years... It raises their ceiling in the sense that they're ripping the band-aid off now."

In O'Connor's view, despite VanVleet's veteran experience, it was only a matter of time before Houston decided to move him out of the starting lineup as a result of the limitations he outlined.

With VanVleet's injury both Thompson and young guard Reed Sheppard will undergo trial by fire, taking on what the ultimate look for this team would have been once the pair was able to develop even further. Now, however, VanVleet's injury has expedited this timeline, and Houston's success this season will hinge on Thompson and Sheppard's ability to fill out their new roles quickly.

Therefore, although VanVleet's injury is a decidedly unfortunate development for this team, it is possible that they can still contend, and somehow become even more dangerous, if the right players take a step forward.