Rockets fans must be patient with Fred VanVleet's return to action

Fred VanVleet’s return might be the most anticipated part of the Rockets’ season kickoff, but he warned against expecting too much. VanVleet himself warned reporters of an adjustment period, adding that "there's no translation to an NBA game" before actually suiting up for one. The rampup process will inevitably take time and Houston fans can't expect him to be at his best right out of the gate.

VanVleet will need time to get his bearings again

It's easy to get eager for VanVleet's return, considering how much the Rockets missed him in last season's ugly playoff losses. But Fred won't be in top form to fix his team's issues from the first game of the season. He's a small 32-year-old guard coming off a major knee injury; history tells us that a full recovery to his usual play will be a tough hill to climb.

Although his age could make the physical recovery even harder, VanVleet's experience should be a benefit for his processing speed once he does return to the Rockets' lineup. He's been a great leader ever since arriving in Houston and will surely continue in his role as an additional coach on the floor this season too. VanVleet can help make Ime Udoka's coaching more effective through his own execution and reminders for his teammates.

However, his body might not respond how he wants right away. VanVleet has never relied too much on athleticism in his game, but he did still provide value as an extremely active defender. Now coming off his injuries, VanVleet could lose some quickness and therefore have a harder time maintaining the same energy on defensive rotations or even man-to-man coverage.

The initial ramp-up will do VanVleet well

After some time getting reacclimated to NBA action, VanVleet should be back to being a great floor general for the Rockets. His steady presence as a distributor and shooter on offense, as well as his smart defense, were instrumental to Houston's success in past seasons. Even with some physical limitations, he should be able to replicate much of his previous impact.

The Rockets have enough youth and freak athletes to attack the rim; they don't need VanVleet to contribute directly in that area. But he can help get his teammates easier opportunities through excellent passing and smart floor spacing. His skills and reputation will do enough talking once he's back up to normal game speed.

Fortunately, the Rockets also made some smart moves to add more guard depth this offseason and give VanVleet a potential ramp-up window. To start the season, he has the option to play less minutes and let new addition Marcus Smart or developing youngster Reed Sheppard run the show more often. That should give VanVleet more confidence to ramp up in a sustainable way rather than rushing himself and making things worse.

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