Even in after three straight losses, the Houston Rockets (13-12) still have a winning record after 25 games of the NBA’s 2023-24 season. That’s tremendous progress for a team that finished last or tied for last in the Western Conference in each of the last three years.
One of the biggest reasons for that growth is point guard Fred VanVleet, Houston’s flagship offseason signing in 2023 free agency. In Wednesday’s close loss to Atlanta, VanVleet finished with 32 points and 15 assists while shooting 50% overall and 42.9% on 3-pointers.
Over his last four games, VanVleet has 46 assists to five turnovers. He’s had at least 25 points and 15 assists in his last two games, making him just the second player in franchise history — the first was James Harden in November 2016 — to accomplish that feat.
For the season, VanVleet ranks fifth in the NBA at 9 assists per game, and his average of 1.7 turnovers is lowest among those top five.
Perhaps the only concern for VanVleet is minutes played. The 29-year-old leads the league at 38.5 minutes per game, and he is averaging 40 in December. In Houston’s last outings on Monday in Cleveland and Wednesday at home versus the Hawks, VanVleet averaged 44.5 minutes in a pair of close losses.
It’s worth noting that rookie guard Amen Thompson has missed much of the 2023-24 season due to injury or illness. As Thompson rounds into form health-wise, VanVleet and the Rockets hope it will allow Ime Udoka to eventually scale back the floor general’s minutes.
“I’m going to play as much as I can play, and as much as they need me to play,” VanVleet told reporters after Wednesday’s game. “We’ve got a lot of young guys. They’re learning as we’re playing, and we’re trying to win, at the same time. There’s a lot of things going on, and a lot of people on different tracks and trajectories.”
“They’re going to continue to learn and get better, and I’m sure as the season goes along, those minutes will continue to come down,” said VanVleet, who is averaging 17.7 points (38.8% on 3-pointers) and 9 assists in 38.5 minutes per game. “But for now, I’m just out there battling. I’m rolling with my teammates, always.”
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