As the Houston Rockets prepare to enter the 2025-26 NBA season, their loss of Fred VanVleet to an ACL injury he suffered in a team mini-camp could potentially be disastrous.
Yet, Kevin O'Connor, Yahoo Sports' Senior NBA Analyst, has revealed where the silver lining might be in this catastrophe on the latest episode of his podcast, claiming that, while VanVleet's loss lowers the floor for the Rockets given his veteran experience, it also raises their ceiling.
While there still remains a healthy amount of uncertainty around whether players such as Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun can take the necessary leap in their playmaking abilities, O'Connor claims that this team can still be exceedingly dangerous if they are able to do so.