Just prior to training camp, the Houston Rockets lost veteran point guard Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair) to a potentially season ending injury.

That development led many observers around the league to speculate that Houston might pursue an external upgrade at point guard.

Yet, six games into the 2025-26 season, the Rockets (4-2) own the NBA’s best offense. They also have the majority of their point-guard reps going to Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, two promising young talents who should only improve as the year progresses.

With that in mind, even as tensions seemingly rise in Memphis between the Grizzlies and two-time All-Star Ja Morant, it doesn’t seem as though Houston is interested in pursuing a trade (should the 26-year-old eventually hit the market).

The Athletic’s Sam Amick writes:

The Grizzlies’ next opponent, the Houston Rockets, need a point guard after losing Fred Van Vleet to a torn ACL in the preseason… but, per a team source, are unlikely to pursue him.

The are, of course, some extracurricular concerns involving Morant.

But from a Houston perspective, the logic appears to be basketball-related.

The Rockets have an elite offense, as is, so why would GM Rafael Stone bring in a high-usage player who would potentially take away touches and playmaking opportunities from the likes of Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Alperen Sengun?

The Rockets also expect VanVleet back at some point, and by the start of the 2026-27 season at the latest. Morant is under contract through the 2027-28 campaign, and historically, he’s a significantly higher-usage player than VanVleet.

Should the on-court results significantly change, it’s possible that Stone and the Rockets could revisit the Morant option by the in-season trade deadline of Feb. 5, 2026. But based on what we know now, it doesn’t appear likely that Houston will be involved in any bidding.

HOUSTON — Amen Thompson may not look like a traditional point guard, but he’s filling in capably for the Rockets in the absence of veteran Fred VanVleet.

The Rockets (3-2) entered Monday’s home game versus Dallas (2-4) on a three-game winning streak, and their 22-year-old rising star was +77 when playing during those games.

For the season, Thompson is averaging 15.0 points (46.7% FG), 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.6 turnovers per game, and the versatile 6-foot-7 prospect remains best known for his defense (Thompson earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors last season).

Yet, in pregame comments from Toyota Center, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd — a Hall of Fame point guard from his NBA playing days — went out of his way to praise Thompson’s abilities on offense.

When asked about Thompson’s defense, Kidd replied:

He’s playing the game at a very high level, not just on defense but on the offensive end, too. Driving the ball, and putting a lot of pressure on the defense at the rim.

I know everyone talks about his defense, but the way he’s handling the ball, it puts a lot of pressure (on the opponent).

Houston continues to rank No. 1 in the NBA in offensive rating, so Thompson’s individual contributions are clearly making it work for the Rockets as a team, as well.

The Rockets are without Jabari Smith Jr. (right ankle sprain) in Monday’s game, so Thompson started alongside Kevin Durant, Josh Okogie, Tari Eason, and Alperen Sengun.

With Wednesday’s 139-121 victory at Toronto, the Rockets (2-2) secured their first winning streak of the 2025-26 campaign and are now NBA’s top-rated offense of the young season.

Featuring Dave Hardisty, Ben DuBose, and Paulo Alves, our “ClutchFans Live” postgame show recaps all the key storylines from that showing against the Raptors.

Discussion topics include big scoring games from Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr.; a dominant rebounding performance, led by interior strength from Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun; a subpar shooting night by Reed Sheppard; and potential concerns on defense, where the Rockets currently rank in the bottom half of the league.

In the win at Toronto (box score), Durant, Smith, Sengun, and Amen Thompson combined for a whopping 92 points, with each shooting at least 50% from the field.

It’s been a bumpy start, and it wasn’t exactly the 1996 Bulls on the other end, but the Rockets got their first win of the season Monday night.

Tari Eason broke out with 22 points — 20 in the first half — as the Rockets pulled away late first quarter and never looked back.

Alperen Sengun scored 21 points, hitting a pair of triples, Kevin Durant added 19 and Amen Thompson was a +33 in 25 minutes, handing out eight assists to zero turnovers.

Ben DuBose and I talked Rockets after the game — starting Josh Okogie over the ‘Double Big’, Tari’s breakout and Amen’s solid point guard showing.

The home opener is tonight, with Kevin Durant playing a regular season game in front of the home crowd for the first time, when the Rockets take on the Pistons at 7:00 pm Central.

Detroit is missing that shooter they had in Malik Beasley and Jaden Ivey (knee surgery) is out, but Cade Cunningham is always a tough out. They added Duncan Robinson this season who should theoretically provide that shooting pop, but he was a bust in their season opener.

Come join David Weiner (@BimaThug) and I tonight after the game as we discuss what we saw and get live fan reaction. Subscribe to ClutchFans on YouTube to get notifications when we go live!