Rockets' biggest question is still painfully obvious

The Houston Rockets have largely survived and thrived without starting point guard Fred VanVleet as he recovers from the ACL tear he suffered this offseason. While Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard have stepped into his role in a surprisingly sustainable manner, his absence still highlights the one major question that remains for this team.

As they chase championship contention, will his absence still be recognizable in close games?

On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Zach Lowe expressed concerns on the matter, stating that the Rockets' need for an extra on-ball creator is still evident:

""VanVleet in particular, you feel the void of a little extra on-ball juice for them at times. They're going offense-defense late [against the Nuggets] with Reed Sheppard coming and then Okogie coming in for Reed Sheppard... It's like 'What do we actually need here in this moment?""

Zach Lowe

It has quickly become clear that the Rockets' championship hopes will be defined by their ability to fill the void VanVleet has left behind. Yet if their offense continues to stagnate in clutch situations, are Sheppard and Thompson truly the answer to the problem?

Rockets may still need another point guard in order to bring this team's dreams to fruition

In many ways, the Sheppard-Thompson combination has not been nearly as disastrous as many thought it would be. Thompson is averaging 5.2 assists to just 2.6 turnovers. Sheppard is posting similarly adequate numbers, averaging 3.3 assists to 1.2 turnovers.

Yet Houston has had multiple games this year in which it has fallen short because those two players' playmaking skills have not been sufficient.

Lowe remarks specifically on their loss to the Denver Nuggets: a nail-biting, overtime affair in which the team frustratingly came up short. Yet their catastrophic loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday presents an even better case for Lowe's point.

After jumping out to an early lead, the Rockets offense stagnated in the second half. In the fourth quarter specifically, they scored just 20 points to New Orleans' 36. They totaled just four assists in the quarter, with one each going to Sheppard and Thompson.

They were largely unable to get the ball to their best players in their spots, and they allowed an embarrassing comeback as a result.

The Rockets, by all accounts, will likely be resistant to parting with the significant assets necessary to bring in a star-caliber point guard. Nevertheless, this team is in a decidedly win-now timeframe.

How long can they afford to leave the keys in Sheppard's and Thompson's hands?