The Houston Rockets finally have the Fred VanVleet update they spent the last year waiting for.
Head coach Ime Udoka said Tuesday at Rockets media day that VanVleet is fully cleared, has been playing 5-on-5 and will enter training camp able to do everything after missing the entire 2025-26 season following surgery to repair a torn right ACL.
There is one early restriction Houston already has in mind.
“My initial thought would be no on the back-to-backs going into it, just from a health standpoint and getting him up to speed,” Udoka said. “But he is doing everything, fully cleared, and has looked really good lately.”
That is a considerable change from even earlier this month, when VanVleet was still publicly described as ramping up his rehabilitation work.
Fred VanVleet Is Cleared, but Rockets Won’t Rush His Return
VanVleet supplied his own dose of perspective.
“I’ve been progressing nicely,” he said. “These things don’t always go how you plan, but considering 12 months ago I wasn’t able to walk at this point in the year, I’d say I’m doing pretty good right now.”
VanVleet confirmed he has played 5-on-5 over the past couple of weeks, but he also cautioned that clearance does not mean his game will immediately look the way it did before the injury.
“What you see won’t be the finished product yet,” VanVleet said. “But I’m in a really good spot.”
That distinction matters.
The Rockets announced on September 25, 2025, that VanVleet underwent surgery to repair the ACL in his right knee after suffering the injury during an offseason workout. He subsequently missed all of last season.
Now Houston can manage his conditioning rather than his availability.
Udoka said VanVleet has already participated in live competition and back-to-backs during the past month while ramping up. Still, the coach indicated he prefers not to expose the 32-year-old guard to consecutive regular-season games immediately.
Houston will not have to wait long for that decision to become relevant. After opening its season against the Dallas Mavericks on October 21, the Rockets visit the San Antonio Spurs on October 23 and the Atlanta Hawks on October 24 — their first back-to-back of the season.
VanVleet’s Return Changes Houston’s Offense
Getting VanVleet back is about more than filling a spot in the starting lineup.
General manager Rafael Stone called his return “enormous” while discussing Houston’s half-court offense Tuesday. Udoka pointed to VanVleet and Steven Adams as two experienced, high-IQ voices returning to a roster that also added Marcus Smart.
VanVleet’s presence should also change Amen Thompson’s workload.
Udoka said Thompson will no longer have to initiate every possession and can be deployed more frequently as a screener, in the dunker spot or as a backup power forward. Thompson made essentially the same point, saying he has always preferred playing with another ball-handler such as VanVleet because both can move between on-ball and off-ball roles.
Houston went 52-30 without VanVleet last season but finished only 21st in assists per game at 25.4, according to NBA.com.
That makes VanVleet’s return less about replacing lost production than restoring some order.
The ACL rehab is not completely behind him — VanVleet made that clear himself. But the uncertainty over whether he will be physically available for the start of Houston’s season appears to have changed considerably.
He is playing. He is cleared. Now the Rockets have to decide how quickly to take the restraints off.
Rockets Get Major Fred VanVleet Injury Update Before NBA Season