The Houston Rockets have a solid roster across the board, but in particular, I do believe that the point guard position is in a good spot.

With that said, let's take a look at each option for the Rockets at point guard and see where the position is at heading into 2026.

At this point, the expectation for the starter at point guard is veteran Fred VanVleet, who missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to a torn right Achilles and meniscus, but he should be ready to go to start the 2026 season. Last year without VanVleet, the Rockets really struggled with offensive facilitation, but with him expected to be back, he could be a key factor in that.

During the 2024-2025 season, which was VanVleet's last mostly healthy season he was solid as he averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game, showing his ability to make a key impact on both ends. In terms of efficiency, VanVleet was pretty good on that front as well as he shot 37.8 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three, and 81 percent from the free-throw line.

Overall, VanVleet is a solid player who thrives with the ability to score, facilitate, and provide reliable perimeter defense, and if he can return to form in 2026 for the Rockets, he could make a massive impact.

Next up is free agent addition Marcus Smart, who has been a solid veteran in the NBA for quite some time and could very well make key contributions for this team in 2026.

In 2025, Smart played for the Los Angeles Lakers and was quite reliable as he averaged 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, three assists, 0.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game, showing his ability to be impactful on offense and defense. Additionally, Smart was fairly efficient as he shot 39.5 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from three, and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line.

Heading into 2026, Smart has an opportunity to make a key impact for the Rockets with his ability to convert from three point range, distribute the ball, and play solid perimeter defense, and if he can be consistent in those area, the Rockets should be in a good spot.

The Rockets also have a solid young player who could play point guard, Amen Thompson, who had to step up for Houston in 2025 with VanVleet out. It is important to note that Thompson will be the starting shooting guard for the Rockets, but his versatile skill set does allow him to play point guard.

Over the course of the 2025 season, Thompson averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 1.5 steals, which demonstrated his ability to play at a pretty high level on both ends. Thompson's shooting splits were solid overall as he shot 53.4 percent from the field and 77.9 percent from the free-throw line, but he did struggle from three as he recorded a three-point percentage of 21.6 percent.

As Thompson prepares for the 2026 season, his ability to be dominant on defense, attack the rim, and continue to grow as a playmaker are all factors that should help him to be a great shooting guard for the Rockets this season, but also could help him to provide valuable depth at point guard.

Now looking more at the back end of the point guard rotation, rookie guard Bruce Thornton has an opportunity to use his collegiate experience to help the Rockets to feel confident if his number is called.

At the collegiate level, Thornton played four season for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Conference and was pretty consistent. For Thornton's college career, he averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, four assists, 0.1 blocks, and 1.1 steals which put his two-way ability on display. On the efficiency side, Thornton was very effective as he shot 48.6 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three, and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Heading into Thornton's rookie year with the Rockets, it will be interesting to see how he can contribute and whether or not he can get into the rotation by leaning on his solid perimeter defense and reliable shooting.

The final player to consider on the point guard depth is third-year guard Reed Sheppard. It is important to note that Sheppard is at the back end of the point guard rotation, but he should be near the top of the shooting guard rotation so he will not necessarily play point guard, but he could if the Rockets need someone to step up.

On that note, Sheppard did step up for the Rockets in 2025 just like Thompson did with VanVleet being out. During the 2025 season, Sheppard ended up starting 21 of the 82 games he played in and was good as he averaged 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. In terms of efficiency, Sheppard was consistent as he posted shooting splits of 43 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from three, and 80.2 percent from the free-throw line.

As a guard, Sheppard has the ability to play point guard or shooting and with his ability to shoot and defend at a solid level it will be interesting to see what Sheppard's role is and what kind of impact he can make in 2026.

Overall, when looking at this room it does appear that the Rockets have a decent amount of shooting but also quite a bit of good defense when it comes to having VanVleet, Smart, Thompson, Thornton, and Sheppard.

Ultimately, the success of this position group will come down to VanVleet staying healthy to provide playmaking and initiation in this offense, and if he can the Rockets have plenty of depth to make this one of the best units in the entire NBA.