Overview
- Udoka, speaking before Monday’s game in Chicago, said VanVleet is only shooting, cutting and moving in non-contact drills, with no contact work planned soon.
- The Rockets have not formally ruled him out, and VanVleet recently said on a podcast that he would not close the door even as he acknowledged the tight timeline.
- ACL returns for NBA players usually take nine to 12 months, while the mid-April playoffs start about seven months after his late-September knee surgery.
- Houston has leaned on Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard to handle the ball, with Sheppard thriving as a starter and the team holding a top-six spot in the West.
- If he remains out, reporting points to full clearance by training camp in late September, and his $25 million player option will factor into offseason decisions.