When Fred VanVleet suffered a knee injury before the regular season started, a Houston Rockets team that was supposed to be firmly ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly had a massive question mark at point guard. They have still been the better team thus far.
In the much tougher Western Conference, the Rockets enjoy a 22-11 record. That is good enough for a playoff spot. The Cavaliers have endured injury troubles of their own. They have fallen victim to them far worse, in terms of results, struggling to create a consistent identity in the process.
At this point of the season, the Rockets have proven themselves to be the much safer bet to push for a championship in 2026. That pursuit may actually become just a touch easier too. Marc Stein hinted at the idea of VanVleet potentially making his return during this campaign in a recent write-up.
Stein wrote, "Rockets certainly won't be guaranteeing a return in 2025-26 after VanVleet's unfortunate knee tear ... but they also aren't completely ruling it out, either. Word is VanVleet is working as hard as possible in his rehab from the injury to at least put a late-season return on the table."
Fred VanVleet injury return would only add to Cavaliers' obstacles
Even through some slumps, the Rockets have firmly established themselves as a contender. Perhaps they are not on the same level as a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder. One could even argue in favor of the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets (with a healthy Nikola Jokic) too.
However, most of those teams, much like the Rockets, are flawed in some capacity. Houston becomes far less vulnerable with VanVleet back.
To the point of the NBA insider, there's no guarantee that FVV will be back in the lineup before season's end. Even so, it sounds like there's some degree of optimism regarding his rehab. Not that the Rockets should rush him back if VanVleet is not ready and confident.
The silver lining for them has been finding out how ready Reed Sheppard is to be a contributor. The second-year guard has averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game off the bench, shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from beyond the arc.
All of this is coming together as a perfect storm for another team standing between the Cavaliers and a title once the spring arrives. That, in itself, assumes that Cleveland will figure themselves out by then.