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Time is starting to run out, but veteran point guard Fred VanVleet still isn’t ruling out a potential return to the Rockets during the 2025-26 season.
VanVleet, 32, tore the ACL in his right knee during an unofficial team workout last September. He was previously projected to be Houston’s starter at point guard, where he provides considerable value on both offense and defense.
The 2026 Western Conference playoffs will begin in mid-April, approximately seven months after VanVleet’s injury and surgery. That’s much faster than the average timeline to return to NBA games after ACL surgery, which typically takes at least nine months.
Yet, the Rockets haven’t ruled him out for the season, and VanVleet has continually kept the door open when asked. He attends nearly all games, including on the road, and participates in some on-court activities.
In a Ball In The Family podcast episode published this week (March 3), VanVleet was asked if he envisions a return this season. VanVleet responded:
The complete episode (which features Lonzo Ball, another longtime NBA point guard, as an interviewer) can be viewed or listened to below.
Historically, the data on NBA players and ACL surgeries suggests that the most probable outcome is for VanVleet to resume playing at the start of the 2026-27 season in the fall. He does have a $25-million player option, which he is potentially more likely to exercise after this injury.
But that player option also provides a bit of a financial insurance policy, and it could keep the door open for a return before or during the 2026 playoffs — even if unlikely.
Furthermore, there could also be a situation where the more games the 2025-26 Rockets win, the more time it buys VanVleet in his recovery. In other words, he might not be ready at the start of the playoffs (roughly seven months since the injury), but perhaps something at around the eight-month mark in mid-to-late May is more realistic.
It’s a longshot, regardless. But even in March, it’s one that VanVleet still isn’t ready to rule out.
More: ESPN: Fred VanVleet’s surgeon views 2026 playoffs as plausible return
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Injured Rockets guard Fred VanVleet still not ruling out 2025-26 return
Continue reading...
VanVleet, 32, tore the ACL in his right knee during an unofficial team workout last September. He was previously projected to be Houston’s starter at point guard, where he provides considerable value on both offense and defense.
The 2026 Western Conference playoffs will begin in mid-April, approximately seven months after VanVleet’s injury and surgery. That’s much faster than the average timeline to return to NBA games after ACL surgery, which typically takes at least nine months.
Yet, the Rockets haven’t ruled him out for the season, and VanVleet has continually kept the door open when asked. He attends nearly all games, including on the road, and participates in some on-court activities.
In a Ball In The Family podcast episode published this week (March 3), VanVleet was asked if he envisions a return this season. VanVleet responded:
The complete episode (which features Lonzo Ball, another longtime NBA point guard, as an interviewer) can be viewed or listened to below.
Historically, the data on NBA players and ACL surgeries suggests that the most probable outcome is for VanVleet to resume playing at the start of the 2026-27 season in the fall. He does have a $25-million player option, which he is potentially more likely to exercise after this injury.
But that player option also provides a bit of a financial insurance policy, and it could keep the door open for a return before or during the 2026 playoffs — even if unlikely.
Furthermore, there could also be a situation where the more games the 2025-26 Rockets win, the more time it buys VanVleet in his recovery. In other words, he might not be ready at the start of the playoffs (roughly seven months since the injury), but perhaps something at around the eight-month mark in mid-to-late May is more realistic.
It’s a longshot, regardless. But even in March, it’s one that VanVleet still isn’t ready to rule out.
More: ESPN: Fred VanVleet’s surgeon views 2026 playoffs as plausible return
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Injured Rockets guard Fred VanVleet still not ruling out 2025-26 return
Continue reading...
