The Houston Rockets reportedly aren’t ruling out the return of Fred VanVleet (right ACL tear) this season, and neither is the 31-year-old floor general.
Tim MacMahon, a national ESPN reporter based in Dallas, caught up with VanVleet when the Rockets visited the Mavericks last weekend.
Via his Howdy Partners podcast, here’s what MacMahon relayed:
Fred VanVleet may be returning for the playoffs, for the Houston Rockets. The playoffs would be about seven months (since the injury) for Fred. But he has said this on his podcast, and I talked to him after watching him do spot-up shooting on the court in Dallas.
He told me it was definitely a goal of his, to come back in time for the playoffs. His surgeon has told him it’s a possibility. That is what he is training for, that’s what he’s shooting for.
It is a goal, it is not a guarantee. He said, ‘I’m not going to do anything crazy.’ That means, if the medical feedback is ‘You’re not ready, you’re at risk,’ then he’s not going to push through. He’s not going to be stubborn about it. But the Rockets are open to the possibility, and VanVleet is working toward that.
The 2026 Western Conference will begin in mid-April, approximately seven months — or 210 days — since VanVleet’s injury and surgery. That’s much faster than the average timeline to return to NBA games after ACL surgery, which typically takes at least nine months.
But medical technology and rehabilitation practices are continuing to improve at a rapid rate, and it’s certainly worth noting that VanVleet’s surgeon thinks it’s possible.
In early January, with about half of that seven-month timeline having already elapsed, VanVleet and the Rockets know he needs to do progressively more on-court activities for an April return to be feasible. Fortunately, by all indications, that’s exactly what has started to happen.
Historically, two NBA players who beat the average ACL recovery timeline — and came at least somewhat close to seven-month returns — were Kendrick Perkins, who returned to the 2010-11 Boston Celtics after 224 days, and Danny Green, who returned in about 265 days after tearing his ACL in the 2022 playoffs.
Both Perkins and Green now work with ESPN, so MacMahon had easy access to ask their opinions about VanVleet’s plan. Via Howdy Partners, MacMahon relayed:
Both those guys felt like it was a realistic goal, for a guy like VanVleet, who works like he does. They both made this type of comeback.
Danny talked about that the hurdle is as much mental as it is physical, with the mental ability to trust that leg. Perk pointed out that VanVleet isn’t a guy who relies a ton on his athleticism.
The complete episode can be listened to below, with the VanVleet discussion starting at approximately the 12:40 mark. While a return in April 2026 clearly isn’t being ruled out, MacMahon did note that a return at starting-level minutes appears doubtful.
“This is a problem the Rockets would like to have, but what exactly the role looks like, I have no idea,” MacMahon concluded. “I can’t imagine that you hand him the starting point guard reins.”
As of now, Houston is 22-12 and has won five of its last seven games, which makes a return to the West playoffs highly likely. In VanVleet’s absence, Amen Thompson transitioned from a wing/forward hybrid role to the starter at point guard, which then allowed Tari Eason to grab the vacant wing position.
But Eason’s promotion has left something of a void off Houston’s bench, and perhaps it’s one that VanVleet could eventually fill. With a little luck, that is.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ESPN: Fred VanVleet’s surgeon views 2026 playoffs as plausible return
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
