Rockets' Point-Guard Crisis Deepens After Early Losses

The Rockets' early season has been rocky, suffering close losses including a season-opening double-overtime defeat to Oklahoma City and a 115-111 loss to Detroit. Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL that will sideline him for the season, leaving Houston without an experienced floor general. The absence of VanVleet has exposed a lack of point-guard competence, contributing to a turnover-plagued and inefficient offense. Coach Ime Udoka has shuffled lineups and pressed wing Amen Thompson into a facilitator role—where cramping, foul trouble and a facial hit from Jalen Duren (who was ejected for a flagrant-2) have limited his effectiveness—while rookie Reed Sheppard has shown more promise as a spot-up shooter than a true floor general. A sibling subplot against twin Ausar Thompson highlighted both players’ similarities and shooting limitations. Houston must quickly find or develop a reliable point guard and settle its offensive identity to stop self-inflicted damage and start converting close games into wins.