Fred VanVleet hasn’t played in a professional basketball game in over a year. It’s been 445 days to be exact (May 4, 2025), since VanVleet took the court for an NBA game. After tearing his ACL in his right knee this past offseason, VanVleet was forced to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Despite his lengthy absence from the court, VanVleet appears to be ramping up for this year with the utmost confidence and positivity. VanVleet seems to feel revitalized after his rehabilitation from his knee injury. And he also sounds extremely confident in his team’s abilities to succeed this season.
Fred VanVleet Expresses High Hopes For Rockets This Season
During a sit down interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, the Houston Rockets point guard revealed how he’s feeling ahead of the season. He also made a bold prediction on how he thinks the Rockets will fare this year.
“I think we can win the championship next year, but that’s internal. The lead up to the moment don’t really matter. We just watched the (New York) Knicks do it, nobody really paid them any attention, and then they got there and dominated. And then it was like oh, they’re the best team ever,” VanVleet said.
“I think we can win a championship next year, but that’s in town, lead up to the moment don’t really matter.”
The current projected roster for the Rockets this season is set to return its core from last year. Starters from last season, Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. should all slot back into their steady positions. VanVleet is expected to be fully healthy at the start of the season and should slide back into the starting lineup. This would send the combination of Reed Sheppard, Josh Okogie, and Tari Eason back to their rightful places on the bench.
After picking up his player option, VanVleet is set to play on the last year of a two-year, $50 contract with the Rockets this season. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent following the season. The 32-year-old has played nine total seasons between the Toronto Raptors and Rockets after going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Can Rockets Compete For a Championship This Season?
After finishing No. 5 in the Western Conference standings last season, the Rockets are hoping a healthy VanVleet will help their franchise return to the promised land. The Rockets haven’t appeared in an NBA Finals since 1995. They won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995, and have only reached the Western Conference Finals two times since.
The Rockets showed flashes of greatness last season, having at least three winning-streaks of at least five games. They also finished the season 9-1 in their last 10 games. Despite entering the playoffs playing some of the best basketball of the season, they fell to the No. 4 seed, Los Angeles Lakers in the first round in six games.
Although the Rockets were disappointed to lose VanVleet for all of last season, he appears prepared to lead his team back to the playoffs. His original injury took place in September of 2025, while participating in an unofficial team minicamp in the Bahamas.
The one-time NBA All-Star averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 2.7 made 3-pointer per game in 60 total games played in the 2024-25 season.
Fred VanVleet Makes Bold Houston Rockets Prediction For Upcoming NBA Season