The Rockets have an opportunity for growth following gut-wrenching VanVleet injury

Earlier this week, the Rockets suffered a devastating blow to their championship contention aspirations. It was announced that veteran point guard Fred VanVleet had torn his ACL in what could potentially be a season-ending injury. With such a big loss before the start of the season, it's clear that the Rockets will not be hoisting the championship in June. But could they still make a deep playoff run?

In spite of the Rockets' brilliant offseason, their lack of a serviceable backup guard who could both play make and conduct the offense was readily apparent. The Josh Okogie pickup reinforced the Rockets' defensive blueprint rather than adding an offensive threat. And the Rockets' slate of backup guards was so unideal that I believed Reed Sheppard would have to fill a significant niche. With the loss of VanVleet now, the situation has become all the more dire.

Amen Thompson will have to venture into unfamiliar territory

During VanVleet's absence, Amen Thompson will have to fill his shoes at the point guard position. Last season, Thompson made a considerable leap. He averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the season, and as a starter averaged an even better 16 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists. With that being said, he still has a ways to go as a ball handler and playmaker.

Though frustratingly inefficient at times, VanVleet was an overall net-positive for the Rockets' offense and far more impactful than his stats suggested. The Rockets were just merely .500 with an 11-11 record when he didn't play last year. Amen will not be able to replicate VanVleet's impact as a floor general; however, he's shown more than enough growth to not just be recklessly counted out. Amen's role will also be far less burdensome, considering that he will be passing to an all-time great scorer in KD and an already dominant Alperen Sengun who is seemingly on the verge of making another leap.

The VanVleet injury doesn't detract from the new look Rockets' potential

In this decade's NBA, having a top-heavy squad with a few noteworthy stars is simply not enough to be a contender. Roster construction is more important. So the idea that the Rockets having Sengun, KD, and Amen in their lineup will be sufficient for a deep playoff run is misguided. But the Rockets' ambition isn't exclusive to these three talents. Even after the Fred VanVleet injury, the Rockets still have great depth and a young core which will continue to grow.

Although some people have floated the idea of trading him, Tari Eason is still extremely valuable for the Rockets on both ends, bringing a solid midrange game, paint scoring, and suffocating on-ball defense. And the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith, a solid 3-and-D wing, alongside Durant provides the Rockets with much needed shooting that they've been devoid of these past two years. Players such as Steven Adams and Jabari Smith Jr. have thrived in their respective niches too, rounding out the Rockets well.

Apart from the fairly fresh wound that is the Rockets' guard depth, the Rockets got better on most fronts over the offseason. They added one of the greatest players in NBA history, added much-needed shooting, and built on their strengths such as size and defense. The Rockets could definitely be better than they were last year, albeit not as good as we were expecting prior to the recent news.

They'll still be mismatched against teams like the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder (barring the miraculous occurrence that Fred VanVleet returns in prime shape in the postseason and Ime Udoka maximizes the offense in record time). With that being said, they are still better than many other potential playoff teams in the West.

The Los Angeles Clippers per usual are laughably dysfunctional, and the Lakers' roster construction is severely flawed. The Mavericks will be good, but their potential is too reliant on aging and injury prone star players. On the surface, this should actually be the season the Rockets finally eclipse the Golden State Warriors, considering that Steph Curry's supporting cast is average at best. Given the recent history between these two teams, however, it's still not a playoff matchup that any Rockets fan should be anticipating.

The Minnesota Timberwolves should be competitive again this year, having appeared in the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two years, but it could be argued that their playoff run last year wasn't as reflective of their actual talent as much as it was of just good fortune. From a Los Angeles Lakers team that was severely unequipped for playoff basketball to the Warriors' untimely star injuries, the Wolves had a relatively easy path to the Conference Finals. The easier nature of their run and their flaws were amplified by the Thunder making light work of them in the Western Conference Finals.

Having improved from last season but still not being quite at the level of the conference's top dogs, the Rockets' ceiling will be the Western Semi-Finals. If Amen Thompson is far ahead of progress and has a monumental third year leap, this could potentially culminate in a Western Conference Finals appearance, but, given the youth of the roster, it will most likely be another year of gradual improvement.