Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet is confident he'll be ready for the preseason after missing the entire 2025-26 campaign due to ACL and meniscus tears.
"I'll be very disappointed if I'm not playing in the preseason," VanVleet told Andscape's Erik Horne. "What I missed the most was the outlet, the exertion, the escape of whatever our lives are in our worlds. I took for granted a lot of things of what I do because I just have been doing it every day for my whole life."
VanVleet said he's been ramping up his conditioning, adding that he "feels like a rookie again."
The Rockets kick off their preseason in Macao, China, on Oct. 9 against the Dallas Mavericks.
VanVleet sustained the injuries during an unofficial team workout in the Bahamas in September 2025, requiring surgery and sidelining him for the entire season.
"I didn't know it was that bad (initially)," VanVleet said. "I never had a real injury before. But I definitely felt the pain and the severity of the moment. The rest of the room kind of knew before I did. I was in denial. I didn't want to believe it."
The 32-year-old former All-Star said he was told his recovery would take six months, which coincided with the start of the playoffs.
"I remember they told me I could come back in six months," VanVleet said. "I was feeling good some days. And then Game 1 or Game 2 (of the playoffs), and I was like, 'Damn, I'm going to miss the whole (season). I'm not coming back.' That was a tough time."
VanVleet, who exercised his $25-million player option for the 2026-27 campaign in June, added that he's optimistic the Rockets can win their first title since 1995.
"We can win a championship next year," VanVleet said. "But that's internal."
The Rockets bolstered their backcourt in the offseason by adding veterans Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard assumed the playmaking duties last season in VanVleet's absence, and both return in 2026-27.
