The Houston Rockets will badly miss Fred VanVleet. His absence will be felt beyond the basic box score numbers.
If anything, the basic numbers say VanVleet struggled in 2024-25. He averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 assists with a True Shooting % (TS%) of 51.5%. On a surface level, that's an eminently replaceable player.
Here's another number: 1.5. That's how many turnovers per game VanVleet averaged. It's a uniquely low number for a player with VanVleet's passing volume:
It was integral to the Rockets' 2024-25 game plan.
Rockets' Fred VanVleet was a vital cog
The Rockets' 114.