Rockets have made their stance on Fred VanVleet crystal clear

As the Houston Rockets entered the offseason, the team had one thing in mind: bring in additional offense.

Accordingly, their blockbuster acquisition of Kevin Durant as well as their signing of Dorian Finney-Smith were meant to accomplish this goal, but, in the process of acquiring additional perimeter shooters, they have shown why VanVleet can no longer be relied upon to lead the offense in that regard.

Although VanVleet is certainly still a capable ball-handler and one of the integral pieces of this offense, the team can no longer rely on his 3-point shooting to help keep them afloat offensively, and, therefore, much of that responsibility now lies on Durant and Finney-Smith.

Fred VanVleet might no longer be a reliable perimeter shooter

For much of VanVleet's career, including his first season in Houston, he has been known as a potentially knock-down perimeter shooter in addition to a superb playmaker and floor general.

Yet, in his second season with the Rockets, some of these facets of his game took a dip, with VanVleet shooting just 34.5% from beyond the arc on the season and averaging only 5.6 assists. For comparison, in his first season in Houston, VanVleet knocked down 41.6% of his attempts from 3-point range and averaged an astonishing 8.1 assists per game.

While these could could certainly be temporary dips, VanVleet will be 31 entering the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, and, as the Rockets attempt to contend immediately, they cannot afford to place all their chips on a rebound season for VanVleet.

Therefore, their acquisition of Finney-Smith, and to a lesser extent Durant, represents an attempt to shore up these areas for the team.

Through 63 games between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers last season, Finney-Smith shot 41.1% from beyond the arc: a career-best mark in that category. Durant, moreover, shot 43% from 3-point range last season, and, although it is certainly not a primary aspect of his game, he should be able to help boost Houston's offense on that front as well.

Nevertheless, Durant's acquisition extends well beyond shoring up the restrictions of VanVleet's game: it represents a revolutionizing addition to the team's budding offense. Finney-Smith, meanwhile, represents a more direct attempt to strengthen one of the team's glaring weaknesses.

With a valuable 3-and-D skill-set, Finney-Smith was likely brought it in with hopes of him providing insurance against another down year from VanVleet. Although, he has been inconsistent as a perimeter shooter as well throughout his career, the Rockets are evidently hoping that Finney-Smith's momentum from last year can carry over and propel the team's offense to even further heights.