How the Rockets can solve their new point guard problem

The Houston Rockets' title chances took a significant blow this week, with starting point guard Fred VanVleet reportedly suffering a torn ACL that could sideline him for the entire season.

The development is a potentially devastating one for the Rockets, who were primed to enter the field of inner-circle contenders after acquiring Kevin Durant in the offseason. VanVleet's arrival two years ago played a massive role in Houston's turnaround - from 60-loss laughingstock in 2023 to 52-win playoff team in 2025.

The veteran point guard's stats (14.9 points per game and 5.7 assists per game for his career) have never accurately captured his on-court value. VanVleet is a brilliant floor general who brings it on both ends and can change a game with his shooting (though his 3-point marksmanship has tailed off in recent years). He's one of the game's best at winning minutes, and the Rockets will miss him dearly.

For as talented as Houston is, and for as much as the offense can flow through rising All-Star Alperen Sengun in the middle, there's no true offensive table-setter with VanVleet sidelined. The 31-year-old is far from the team's most talented player, but you can make the argument he was its most indispensable.

That brings us to the question of how the Rockets might go about solving their newfound conundrum at the point.

Point Thompson

Amen Thompson is a burgeoning two-way star with Defensive Player of the Year potential and All-NBA upside. He's not a point guard, though ... at least not yet.

That's what makes Houston's most likely experiment so intriguing. Thompson is ready for more on-ball reps, but whether he can handle full-time point guard duties remains to be seen, as the 22-year-old forward spent just 1% of his minutes at the point last season, according to Basketball Reference.

There are sure to be growing pains along the way, but Thompson has the basketball IQ (and aura) to eventually excel in an on-ball role. If the youngster takes to his new job quickly, VanVleet's unfortunate setback may end up expediting Thompson's rise to superstardom. However, if he isn't up to the task of running point for a contender, the Rockets will look more like pretenders.

No pressure, kid.

A Reed Sheppard glow-up

Although Reed Sheppard spent last season on the fringes of Houston's rotation, the 2024 third overall pick still has the potential to emerge as the best player of his (admittedly weak) draft class. VanVleet's injury gives him a chance to prove it.

Like VanVleet, Sheppard is more of a combo guard than a pure point guard, but he shoots and moves the ball more naturally than Thompson and could feast on open looks created by Sengun and Durant. Offseason work in the weight room should help him improve on the defensive end too.

Don't count KD out

The most obvious solution might be staring us right in the face.

Durant is an all-time bucket-getter who isn't as natural a playmaker as peers like LeBron James, but the Slim Reaper can still dissect opposing defenses with the ball in his hands. Before last season, Durant averaged more than five assists per game in six straight campaigns, including a career-high 6.4 assists just three years ago.

Who can forget his performance during the 2021 playoffs, when the then-Nets star took on every role imaginable to compensate for an injured/absent Kyrie Irving and a hobbled James Harden? Given the talent at Durant's disposal in Houston, he shouldn't have to shoulder such an all-encompassing load again, but he'll certainly be running the Rockets' offense for stretches of games, and that's not a bad thing.

The only question is whether his body will hold up. In the five seasons since Durant returned from his 2019 Achilles rupture, the 36-year-old has missed nearly a third (31.5%) of his teams' games and has suffered multiple knee injuries.

External options

The young Rockets shouldn't be in a rush, but after trading for Durant with only one year remaining on his contract, I don't expect Houston to go quietly into the night if its internal options fall flat. Such a scenario would lead the organization to the trade market and a likely partnership with an established, veteran point guard.

Jrue Holiday makes the most sense. The respected winner was traded from Boston to the rebuilding Trail Blazers in July and would fit seamlessly into the system of Rockets head coach Ime Udoka. However, Holiday is owed up to $104.4 million over the next three years, making a deal for the fading 35-year-old tough to stomach in the age of aprons.

Another name Houston should monitor is T.J. McConnell. The Pacers guard has been one of the league's best backups for years, and he was an integral part of their run to the Finals last season. McConnell is the type of two-way pest Udoka would love. The 33-year-old will earn less than 7% of the salary cap annually over the next four seasons, and his deal includes an $11.8-million team option in 2028-29. The Pacers won't let him go easy, but if they sputter as expected without Tyrese Haliburton, they might turn into opportunistic sellers.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.