Evaluating Fred VanVleet's time with the Houston Rockets

When the Rockets signed veteran point guard Fred VanVleet in the 2023 offseason, it signified a crucial moment for them. A venture back into the competitive West after a few seasons of worrisome basketball. These seasons, where the Rockets won between 17-22 games, were not a complete indictment of the team itself but instead a product of the post-Harden rebuild. The Fred VanVleet signing, accompanied by the introduction of new head coach Ime Udoka, demonstrated the Rockets' desire to climb out from the pits of the West.

The Rockets, by all means, were able to do so in the 2023-24 NBA season. They leaped from 22 wins in the past season to 41 wins, breaking .500 for the first time since the Harden trade. Additionally, they proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end.

Fred Van Vleet's Strengths as a Rocket

This new defensive identity was in part due to VanVleet's defensive efforts. Amongst point guards, he ranked second in the league in blocks per game with .8 BPG. This gritty defense, also encapsulated by his pesky hands and capabilities as a screen defender, fit perfectly into Coach Udoka's system.

VanVleet also played an instrumental role in running the Rockets' offense. He averaged 17.4 ppg and 8.1 apg. Apart from just being an excellent distributor, he was a meticulous floor general, having one of the best assist to turnover ratios in the league at 4.7. The signature VanVleet and Sengun pick-and-roll was time and time again effective and one of the Rockets' most promising plays.

Another one of the VanVleet's strengths was his stellar 3-point shooting. He shot 38.7% from behind the arc and did so at a high volume with 3.1 threes per game. He was a bright spot on a team which otherwise struggled from the perimeter.

Along with these on-court strengths, Fred VanVleet masterfully served his niche as one of the team's veterans. The Rockets' need for a strong veteran presence is especially apparent when considering the extent of their young talent. Drawing from his experiences with DeMar DeRozan, VanVleet embraced his role as a mentor, providing guidance to players such as Jalen Green and Amen Thompson.

Fred VanVleet's Weaknesses as a Rocket

Having outlined all of his strengths as a player, it is worthy to acknowledge that VanVleet still had his weaknesses. The most glaring of which was his occasionally spotty shot selection. There would be moments where VanVleet would milk the shot clock just to shoot a heavily contested jumper. In doing so, he would essentially slow down the offense in sacrifice of ball movement and therefore, more high-percentage looks.

To make matters worse, this type of shot selection would sometimes be present in the clutch. As a closer, VanVleet left a lot to be desired. His effective field goal percentage was just 46.3% in comparison to Alperen Sengun's superior 53.9%. To add to this, Sengun ranked in the NBA's top 20 for most clutch points. Despite Sengun's superior play in clutch time, VanVleet actually took more shots in the clutch and played more clutch minutes.

Fred VanVleet's Role in the Rockets' Future

Considering the Rockets' young core and their continual growth , Fred VanVleet will not play the exact same role he played in the 2023-24 season. With Jalen Green looking to build on his momentum from last March, VanVleet will likely get less touches. VanVleet will also look to get Reed Sheppard involved in the offense, particularly playing to his abilities in catch-and-shoot situations.

For the Rockets to breakout next year, VanVleet will need to maintain his abilities as a floor general and shooter while recognizing when to take a step back in the offense. He'll also need to improve his shot selection and resist holding the ball for entire possessions. With valuable pieces like Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, Jalen Green among others, the Rockets would be far better off with continual ball movement.

Most crucially, the Rockets will need to play through Sengun instead of VanVleet in the clutch. What sets the league's best teams apart from the middle-of-the-pack teams is defense and their performance in crunch time. The Rockets have a great defensive foundation already, but they were mediocre in the clutch last year. With the NBA's competition getting stiffer, particularly in the West, the Rockets will need to improve in crunch time. Playing through their most empirically clutch player, Alperen Sengun, will give them the best chance to do so.