Fred VanVleet Doesn't Sound as Confident About Return to Rockets This Season

The Houston Rockets expected to take a big leap this season. Understandably, as they took a substantial jump from 41-41 and out of the play-in contention to 52-30 and second in the Western Conference.

Then they added Kevin Durant, one of the game's greatest players historically.

Then Fred VanVleet tore his ACL in team minicamp, which put a major damper in the Rockets' championship hopes.

The team has struggled to fill VanVleet's void. No one on the roster does what he does.

And the replacement options are limited. The realistic ones, at least.

VanVleet joined Matt Barnes of All the Smoke to discuss the circumstances regarding his injury and how he internalized it in the initial moments of sustaining it.

"I just didn't want to believe it at first, it's just so hard to believe. I felt so strong and stable. It wasn't like I couldn't walk. I still felt good. It took a little bit to process it but once you go through surgery you're in it."

VanVleet explained the progress that he's made in his recovery.

"I'm finally moving a little bit. I'm finally running and shooting and I'll probably start jumping here soon. So that part has been cool, just to get back doing what I know how to do and getting off the training table.

So it was like four weeks on crutches and four more weeks on the table, not being able to do a whole lot. So to be back sweating and getting that energy out, and running and seeing the ball go through the net, that's been therapeutic for me.

Back to the basics."

Barnes asked the NBA champion and former All-Star guard for his return timetable.

"My goal is to come back. I don't know how realistic it is but that's just my mindset everyday in attacking the rehab. This shit has been difficult. It's challenging. You gotta push new limits everyday. As soon as you hit a checkpoint, there's another checkpoint.

It's a grind.

I'm really not thinking about the dates right now. I'm just trying to hit those milestones and those checkpoints and places where I need to be. I definitely got it on the board as something that's possible, but it's probably not smart to put a date out there.

If you know me, it's hard to count me out of anything."

We'll see if or when VanVleet returns to the Rockets this season. Sports science and medicine has improved significantly.

An ACL used to be viewed as a major setback, whereas now it's become a less significant knee injury. NFL Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and MCL on December 24th, 2011 and returned in time for the season opener on September 9th, 2012.

Regardless of VanVleet's recovery, the Rockets will need to identify a stop-gap replacement. And JD Davison is a good place to start.