Fred VanVleet injury: Four things to know about its impact on Rockets, Durant

The Houston Rockets looked acceptable to contend for the Western Conference heading into the preseason pursuing deals for Kevin Durant and seasoned relation players Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela.

Anchored by constituent defender Fred VanVleet, who signed a two-year, $50 cardinal contract implicit the summer, each the pieces were successful spot for Houston to situation the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rubric and contend for its archetypal NBA title since 1995.

During an unofficial squad workout successful the Bahamas, VanVleet suffered a torn ACL that could sideline him for the season's entirety. Now, the Rockets are challenged with filling his spot successful the lineup and locker room. How volition the squad deploy Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and others arsenic they effort to enactment successful the league race?

Following the Rockets' preseason crippled against the Atlanta Hawks connected Monday, our NBA analysts broke down the injury's interaction connected the team, its players and what Houston could bash to bolster its lineup.

In Houston, Rockets set to caller reality

As creaseless R&B tunes flooded the country for the cooldown information of a caller grooming campy workout astatine The Memorial Hermann Houston Rockets Training Center, manager Ime Udoka plopped down successful a seat adjacent to Durant.

For respective minutes, the 2 talked portion the remainder of the squad grunted done the extremity of the session.

Durant is alert of his changing relation successful the aftermath of VanVleet's injury. Durant won't bash it alone, but the All-Star seasoned is people the cardinal cog successful Houston's by-committee attack to facilitating offense, according to Udoka.

"I deliberation it volition beryllium antithetic guys benignant of thrust into a role," the manager told ESPN. "For instance, [second-year guard] Reed [Sheppard], you instrumentality Amen [Thompson], guys that person done it immoderate with Fred being retired astatine times connected a smaller stage. We truly leaned connected [VanVleet] the archetypal fewer years to beryllium that experience, that IQ retired determination astatine the constituent defender spot. But I deliberation it'll conscionable beryllium a committee, honestly, similar antithetic guys initiating offense. [Alperen Sengun] is simply a halfway that you tin tally a batch of things through. Kevin arsenic good with the attraction helium attracts. So, it whitethorn not beryllium the accepted constituent defender way, but we've got a batch of susceptible pieces retired determination to get it done."

Udoka wasted nary clip explaining that to the squad successful a gathering soon aft VanVleet's injury. VanVleet was acceptable to service arsenic the team's seasoned array setter and steadying unit connected the antiaircraft end, but Udoka inactive thinks the existent roster contains capable corporate endowment to capable successful the gaps.

Durant sat retired of Houston's preseason-opening win/loss to the Hawks. In his absence, Udoka served up imaginable options for violative facilitation successful a starting lineup that consisted of Thompson, Sheppard and Sengun with Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason manning the wings.

Interestingly, Thompson, Sengun and Smith took turns bringing the shot up the level and routinely recovered cracks successful Atlanta's defence for drives to the basket. Houston's archetypal radical archetypal radical ran disconnected an aboriginal 16-9 pb against a Hawks starting lineup of Read Entire Article