Rockets quietly revealed unorthodox replacement for Fred VanVleet

The Houston Rockets have officially begun the 2025-26 regular season without starting point guard Fred VanVleet. It was an inevitability that Houston had limited time to prepare for, as free agency and the NBA Draft had already concluded at the time VanVleet endured a torn ACL.

It only took one game for the Rockets to reveal their grand plan to replace VanVleet: Hand the facilitating duties over to Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.

Houston kicked off the 2025-26 regular season with an instant classic, falling 125-124 in double overtime to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sengun was the star of the show, going off to the tune of 39 points and 11 rebounds, burying five three-point field goals along the way.

In addition to leading all players in scoring, Sengun also posted a game-high seven assists—a statistic that was indicative of the role he played in Houston's offense.

Thompson was up to the task of collaborating on the effort to replace VanVleet. He finished with 18 points and five assists, working early and often to generate open looks for his teammates as the Rockets searched for ways to stabilize the offense.

It's far from an orthodox solution, but Houston appears to be answering the question of how they plan to replace VanVleet by empowering Sengun and Thompson as facilitators.

Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson take on lead facilitator roles in opener

Sengun and Thompson combining for 12 assists offers instant reason for intrigue. The context of the situation is crucial, however, as the Rockets consistently looked to both players to initiate offense from a variety of angles.

With Thompson, he was often utilized in actions that trusted him to initiate offensive sets and create opportunities for those around him against a set Thunder defense.

Sengun's role was even more dynamic, as he attacked from the perimeter, passed out of the post, and was willing to make the extra pass off of pick and roll opportunities. To some degree, it was par for the course, as the All-Star big man has excelled as a facilitator in the past.

Sengun averaged 5.0 assists per game in 2023-24 and 4.9 in 2024-25, and will likely find himself in a similar range in 2025-26.

The difference between 2024-25 and 2025-26, however, may ultimately prove to be the extent to which Sengun's passing is emphasized. Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard should alleviate some of the pressure, but Sengun looks the part of the hub of the offense.

The ball seems to go to him no matter where it ultimately ends up, and it stands to reason that the Rockets will lean even more heavily into that strategy with VanVleet sidelined.

Thompson is the more interesting player to study in this scenario given the versatility he provides. He averaged 4.2 and 4.3 assists per 36 minutes between 2023-24 and 2024-25, but hasn't yet been trusted in a facilitating role that requires him to run the offense as opposed to being a part of it.

If the season opener has proven anything, it's that the Rockets will empower Thompson to explore the further reaches of his potential while playing through Sengun.