Fred Vanvleet Has Shown Exactly Why the Rockets Signed Him as a Free Agent

After a crushing Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets were on the brink of playoff elimination. They were down 3-1 and had only come back from that deficit twice in the franchise's entire history. The Rockets knew there was no room for error going forward, and they would have to get contributions from everyone on the team if they wanted to somehow get the series back to Houston for Game 7.

Alperen Sengun was the best Rocket all series as he was the one constant throughout. Jalen Green has had an up-and-down series so far and has had to adjust his game, with the Warriors blitzing him at every opportunity. Amen Thompson, in his first playoff series ever, had to adjust to playoff basketball, and he has been the Thompson we have seen all season since late in Game 4.

Veterans like Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams have been consistent all series long as they are one of the few rotational players with playoff experience. The one player however that has provided the biggest spark the last two games and even in the Game 4 loss is Fred VanVleet.

The Rockets knew after years of rebuilding they would need to bring in more veteran leadership. When VanVleet was first signed to a three-year max contract in the summer of 2023, many people liked the veteran leadership, championship DNA he would bring but thought the 40 million-dollar-a-year price tag was way too high. Add in Dillon Brooks's 20 million per season three-year contract, and the narrative was that the Rockets were desperate and didn't know what they were doing.

Ime Udoka has said many times that VanVleet is like another coach on the floor. Every player on the team has also said that VanVleet is the leader on and off the court and is the player that calms down the entire team especially when the team is struggling.

The former All-Star would go on to show that same leadership on the court as the Rockets not only improved by 19 wins from the previous season, finishing 41-41, but they had their best season in franchise history in terms of taking care of the basketball. VanVleet was the main reason the Rockets went from a team that was at the bottom of the league in turnovers to the best in their franchise's long history.

VanVleet finished with a career high in assist and had one of his best 3-point seasons in his career. The Rockets came up just short in their pursuit of making a play-in game but knew they were on the right path.

Fast forward to the 2024-25 season and the Rockets not only accomplish their goal of making the playoff but exceeding everyone expectations by finishing as the number 2 seed in the tough Western Conference. The Rockets finished 52-30 which was their best record since the 2018-19 season.

VanVleet knew that if the Rockets were going to succeed this season, he would have to take a step back. VanVleet handled the basketball much less this season, as he deferred more to Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green.

That has paid off, especially for Sengun, as he has become the Rockets' offensive hub and the player they go to down the stretch when they need a basket. VanVleet also realized that there were times he would still need to step in and sometimes be more aggressive on the offensive end, and we have seen that in the last three games in their first-round matchup with the Warriors.

VanVleet knew it was time to step up and at times take over the offense. In his last three games VanVleet is averaging 26.7 points shooting 59 percent from the field and an astounding 66.7 percent from 3-point range.

VanVleet is playing so well he has outplayed Stephen Curry in those last three games. Coming into the series, and especially after the first few games, I don't think anyone would have expected that to happen. VanVleet has also been the one player who can consistently break the Warriors' trapping defense.

No one knows what will happen in Game 7 as both teams realize it is a win or go home situation. One thing is for sure the Rockets would already be watching the playoffs from their couches if it wasn't for Fred VanVleet. VanVleet has been exactly what the Rockets have needed.