Rockets' Fred VanVleet Gets Underwhelming Guard Ranking

This was disrespectful.

Mar 29, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) and Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka talk during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports / Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

It's that time again. Well, not that time but we're getting closer.

It's instead time for HoopsHype's annual positional rankings, which are concocted by writer Frank Urbina. Urbina started with the floor generals, which is universally regarded as one of the toughest positions to rank and assess, because there are so many of them.

Perhaps that's why Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet came in so low on the totem pole at 20th.

Urbina's explanation is below. 

"The tough-nosed Fred VanVleet rounds out the Top 20 of our list after a solid debut season with the Houston Rockets in which he put up over 17 points and eight assists per game on nearly 39 percent shooting from three.

VanVleet has one All-Star appearance under his belt and remains just 30 years old so his earning the honor again in the future is not totally impossible, especially if the Rockets hit on draft picks and start to win more in the regular season, but it will be far more difficult now that he’s playing in the Western Conference.

Regardless, the beauty of a player like VanVleet is that he doesn’t care about personal accolades but rather winning, playing with great effort on both ends of the floor and providing great leadership for a young Rockets team.

We don’t necessarily expect a huge elevation in individual production out of VanVleet in 2024-25 but we do think he’ll continue to make a great impact as a leader in Houston, particularly as the young squad continues to mature. Don’t get us wrong, though, VanVleet can still get buckets, create for teammates and rack up steals and deflections, so he’s far from being just a leader for the team – he can still put up impressive numbers, too."

VanVleet missed nine games in 2023-24 and the Rockets went 3-6 in his absence. 

The upcoming 2024-25 season is his final guaranteed season, as the third and final season on his contract contains a team option. 

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.