Why Rockets' Fred VanVleet Signing Will Pay Off Soon

Fred VanVleet signed a three-year deal with the Houston Rockets this offseason, and the team hopes it will pay off quickly.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 5, 2023

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets will have a lot of eyes on them in the coming season, specifically in regards to their new point guard Fred VanVleet.

VanVleet signed a three-year max contract over the summer to join the Rockets, where he will be tasked with providing veteran leadership and a trusted offensive facilitation for a team that hasn't had it since James Harden left town.

Given the Rockets' ultimate youth movement for the past three seasons, VanVleet's impact could be felt very quickly.

Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors — Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports

"If VanVleet's leadership and skill can get more out of the Rockets' recent first-round picks (Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr.) than they were able to accomplish playing without a veteran point guard, his short-term max deal will easily be worth it within the first few months," ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton writes.

The 6-0 guard has averaged 14.6 points on 40.2 percent shooting from the field, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals across 417 career games. VanVleet helped the Raptors sweep the Rockets during their two-game regular season series in 2022-23. He averaged 32.0 points on .458/.444/.889 shooting splits.

VanVleet was the Rockets' top target on the open market, and their desire for the veteran guard ceased the possibility of a reunion with Harden, who is currently seeking a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers.

The addition of VanVleet improves Houston's play at the guard position. He will likely take the helm as the Rockets' starting floor general.

His on-court experience is enough to lay the groundwork for a successful start to phase II. But, VanVleet's locker room presence for a young and rebuilding team will be equally important.

Published Sep 5, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.