Houston Rockets’ Fred VanVleet suffers ACL injury, will miss entire 2025-26 NBA season

The Houston Rockets’ playoff ambitions for the 2025–26 NBA season have taken a serious hit after starting point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during an offseason workout and is expected to miss the entire season.

The news was first reported by NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in the early hours of Tuesday, September 23 (Philippine Standard Time).

“Houston Rockets’ Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL, sources tell ESPN. A devastating, potentially season-ending loss for the Rockets with their starting point guard and leader,” Charania posted.

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This injury is a devastating blow for a Rockets squad that VanVleet has helped transform from a lottery team into a Western Conference contender in just two seasons. The 31-year-old guard recently signed a two-year, $50 million deal with Houston, which includes a player option for the 2026–27 season.

Just in: Houston Rockets’ Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL, sources tell ESPN. A devastating, potentially season-ending loss for the Rockets with their starting point guard and leader. pic.twitter.com/Qhf0V58DwR

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2025

VanVleet joined the Rockets in 2023 after seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors, where he played a key role in their 2019 NBA Championship run. In his first year in Houston, he lifted the team’s win total from 22 to 41. Last season, he helped guide them to a 52-win campaign and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, ending the franchise’s four-year playoff drought.

While his regular-season numbers in 2024–25 dipped slightly—averaging 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds—he elevated his performance in the playoffs, averaging 18.7 points per game.

VanVleet, who went undrafted in 2016, has carved out a remarkable NBA career, boasting career averages of 14.9 points and 5.7 assists over nine seasons.

In his absence, the Rockets are expected to turn to Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday to share the bulk of point guard duties. However, the team’s roster flexibility is limited, as Houston is currently just $1.25 million below the first salary cap apron, preventing them from signing a replacement using their remaining roster spot.

As training camps near and the season approaches, the Rockets face a tough challenge ahead—replacing not just their floor general, but also one of the key leaders who helped reestablish Houston as a postseason threat.

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