The Return of Fred VanVleet Will Unlock the Rockets' Offense

Fred VanVleet has been fully cleared for preseason, and will be returning to his role of the starting point guard is a major boost to the Houston Rockets, especially on offense. Houston will now have an elite floor general and playmaker, which they severely lacked last season.

Without Fred VanVleet on the floor, the Rockets' offense was frequently slow and predictable. There was no spacing being created and the offense was forced into isolation plays. With VanVleet back, spacing and fluidity will improve, and the rest of the starting lineup is set to benefit, particularly the following players:

Alperen Şengün

Şengün operates best when paired with a disciplined guard who can consistently set up short-roll opportunities. VanVleet’s floor awareness and low-turnover style will provide Şengün with efficient service in the post and on the top of the key.

Because defenses respect VanVleet’s perimeter threat, opponents can't stay back in the paint, nor can they double Şengün as aggressively, giving the big man cleaner single-coverage looks.

This should allow Sengun to increase his scoring and field goal percentages. However, his assists numbers will probably go down.

Kevin Durant

VanVleet will likely be the primary ball-handler, coordinating half-court sets and organizing the offense. This will allow Durant to avoid having to expend unnecessary energy bringing the ball up or beating full-court pressure just to initiate plays.

VanVleet is a career 37.1% three-point shooter and a legitimate pull-up threat from deep. Opposing defenses will no longer be able to relentlessly throw double-teams or fixate their entire game plan on Durant.

With VanVleet handling pick-and-roll duties, Durant will no longer have to create every single shot from scratch. He will actually be able to get clean looks and miss matches. I expect Durant’s turnover numbers to decrease, and an increase in his field goal percentage

Amen Thompson

Thompson is one of the most athletic and lethal off-ball cutters in the NBA. When he was forced to create with the ball in his hands last season, teams could sag off him due to his inconsistent perimeter jump shot, as he shot a horrid 21.6% from deep.

With VanVleet orchestrating the offense, Thompson can utilize his elite driving capabilities and hit the open space, resulting in higher-percentage catch-and-finish opportunities at the rim rather than heavily contested self-created drives.

Carrying the offense for 37.4 minutes per game last season took a massive physical toll on Thompson. By shedding the primary ball-handling duties, the Thompson can expend more of his energy on the defensive side of the ball.