After more than a year, Fred VanVleet was back on an NBA court on Friday.
The Houston Rockets guard returned to action in the team's pre-season opening win over the Dallas Mavericks in China.
VanVleet missed all of 2025-26 due to a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, suffered during an off-season workout in September 2025.
The 32-year-old started and played 24 minutes, posting 17 points, seven assists, two rebounds and two steals on five-of-12 shooting.
“Everything was a heat check today," VanVleet said, per The Athletic. “I was just trying to get one (shot) up, get one on the board. Get it out of the way. Get the rust off. I’m just happy to be back.”
VanVleet joined the Rockets in free agency before the 2023-24 season, following seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors. While with the Raptors, he was part of the 2019 NBA Championship run and made his lone all-star appearance.
He averaged 15.9 points, 6.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals, shooting 36.9 per cent from deep across his first two years in Houston. This season will be VanVleet's first opportunity to play alongside Kevin Durant, as he was acquired before last season.
“(He had) nice poise, leadership,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said, according to The Athletic. “He’s knocked the rust off over the last month. He came out aggressive. Obviously, he had some looks go down. From there, he became ultra-aggressive. I love the fact that he took those shots. He kind of got himself back into the game. He gets us into our sets. He understands when to score and when to find guys. He opens up a lot for us in the pick-and-roll.”
The Rockets open the regular season on Oct. 21 against the Mavericks at home.
