What Fred VanVleet Said Live on the Rockets TV Broadcast

The Houston Rockets are officially heading into the All-Star break with a 33-20 record, good for fourth in the Western Conference. Given some of the injuries the team is dealing with, being in their current position in the league is somewhat impressive.

A big reason for the Rockets’ struggles at times this season has been the lack of a true point guard. The usual starting floor general, veteran Fred VanVleet, is out for the season with a torn ACL. While there may be a chance much later in the year for him to return, it’s still unsure what that would look like.

VanVleet still makes his presence felt on the sideline this season, and on Tuesday he went up to the Rockets home TV broadcast for a bit to share his thoughts.

We are excited to have Fred VanVleet join @ca_rockets & @TheRyanHollins during the 2nd quarter tonight vs the Clippers

Join us on SCHN & SCHN+
Stream at https://t.co/PiSfeoLP98 @HoustonRockets I #AllFire pic.twitter.com/KkUh05194F
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) February 10, 2026

Space City Home Network typically doesn’t show their broadcasters in Craig Ackerman and Ryan Hollins on camera during the game, but they had a camera set up and showed them quite a bit with VanVleet in the middle. It’s rare that players would join a live broadcast, and VanVleet stayed for almost the entire second half of the second quarter.

Here’s what he said.

Fred VanVleet’s Commentary

Houston rockets guard Fred VanVleet — Nov 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) talks with guard Fred VanVleet (right) on the bench during the game against the Orlando Magic at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

“I think we’re in good shape. I think everybody needs to chill out. I’ve been on Twitter a lot more this year than ever before,” VanVleet said.

That was the first statement he said when asked about the current state of the team.

There was this one tweet of his that got some attention.

This might be the first positive tweet I’ve seen from Rockets twitter 🚀 https://t.co/xDu2SoNOeG
— Fred VanVleet (@FredVanVleet) February 4, 2026

Durant is famously active on X, and the three joked if that had an influence.

FVV has reacted to seeing the criticism of the team online, and he remains confident about the Rockets. He thinks they’re doing well heading into the All-Star Break with the growth and development and mentioned the real basketball starts after that.

Hollins mentioned VanVleet’s conversations with guard Reed Sheppard and asked what those were like with him getting thrown into the mix and playing a big bench role in his second season.

“Just reassurance and giving him some confidence and supporting him in his thought process. He asks a ton of questions, which is one thing I love about him,” VanVleet said.

Rockets combo guard Amen Thompson has taken the reins at point guard, and his development at that position has been closely watched. Ackerman asked for his thoughts on what Thompson has done.

“He’s been taking a big jump over the last few weeks, taking more control over the offense, and making the right reads. It’s a learning process and a big task. He’s got a lot of mouths to feed, and he’s handling it well,” VanVleet said.

He also mentioned that he can get better with his reads through trial and error, but also doesn’t want it to affect his aggressiveness.

While VanVleet isn’t active on the court, he’s still finding ways to make himself useful. FVV mentioned that he shows them what he sees from his viewpoint and helps the team in spots.

The acquisition of Kevin Durant during the offseason was supposed to propel Houston as a legitimate title contender. When VanVleet went down, those chances took a big hit. Either way, KD is still having one of his best seasons in recent memory.

“The ultimate pro, one of the best to ever lace them up. He leads by example; it’s been a treat to have him,” VanVleet said.

The Rockets have found difficulty occasionally in getting KD some better opportunities based on his role. Teams have been aggressively doubling KD, and that has resulted in his turnovers. VanVleet understands that and says they want to give him more looks.

“We want to make the game look easy for him,” VanVleet said.

The 31-year-old also feels good about Sengun having control as the point center at times and mentions he’s capable.

There are a couple of key points FVV wants to see the Rockets do.

That is taking care of the ball and taking advantage of the opportunities, as well as in the fast break. VanVleet makes a great point because the Rockets have struggled with turnovers, and it’s been a big problem for them. Houston just had their seventh game with 20 turnovers in Wednesday night’s loss to the Clippers.

VanVleet also wants to see more energy and fight at times and wants to know what the record is when they have a scuffle.

On a lighter note, the Rockford, IL native and former Toronto Raptor says Houston is home, and he’s all settled here now. He was also asked about potentially doing broadcasting down the road, especially with his current podcast going on. VanVleet mentions all the notes he saw on the table in front of him and said it might be a little scary jokingly, but also stated he’s a man of many talents.