The Houston Rockets are opening up the 2026-27 regular season on Wednesday evening against the Dallas Mavericks.
Houston is coming off a 52-30 season in 2025-26 that led to a first-round exit in the playoffs. Now, the organization and Ime Udoka are seeking to maximize year two of the Kevin Durant era.
A piece of intrigue heading into the season is point guard Fred VanVleet making a return from an ACL tear. Read more on Udoka’s plans on the utilization of the core Rockets star early on in the year below.
Udoka Reveals Plans For Pair of Standouts in Early Season
The 32-year-old point guard is making his first regular season appearance since April 2025 on Wednesday. This return comes on the heels of suffering a torn ACL in September of last year in a major blow to Houston’s efforts last season.
There are obviously going to be possible restrictions early on in the 82-game campaign. Among those is Udoka confirming that VanVleet won’t participate in back-to-backs at this time (Will Guillory, The Athletic).
In a further doubling down of player restrictions, center Steven Adams will not participate in back-to-back contests either.
In VanVleet’s case, the Rockets have a clear plan in place. Free agent acquisition Marcus Smart will start at point guard while VanVleet sits.
There’s no confirmation in regards to the backup plan for Adams, but Clint Capela is seemingly the name to watch to eat minutes in this case.
Read more below on how the personnel decisions have potential to impact the Rockets in 2026-27.
What Roster Decisions Mean for Rockets
The decisions to sit both Adams and VanVlett in these situations are for their physical well-being at the forefront.
Beyond this, it shows that the Houston management and coaching staff are confident in decisions made during the offseason.
One of the major areas plaguing last season’s team was simply a lack of a point guard. Udoka had to employ “positionless” lineups that were too one-dimensional. The lack of shooting threats beyond Durant and Reed Sheppard was alarming at times.
Houston is working to adjust accordingly. This reflects in the decisions to sign Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic, as well as in drafting Bruce Thornton. These moves serve as playmaking, shooting, and depth boosts to the Rockets’ efforts – also signifying that management is adaptable.
The most crucial returning piece remains VanVleet, however. The Wichita State alum is one of the better offensive stabilizers in the NBA, averaging a nearly 4:1 assist/turnover ratio in 2024-25. He is also one of the best three-point shooters on the team right off the bat. Perhaps the most important role VanVleet will play is as a defensive disruptor. The point guard makes up for his lack of positional size with an impressive motor. He will fit in alongside Amen Thompson and company quite seamlessly after a year-and-half away.
Houston’s first back-t0-back comes on Friday/Saturday. Seeing how the current arrangement plays out at the front end of the season is crucial to the Rockets’ fortunes in the regular season.
Rockets Coach Reveals Fred VanVleet’s Early-Season Management Plan