As the Rockets are now on the final leg of the regular season, VanVleet has yet to participate in contact drills in the wake of his ongoing ACL rehabilitation.
It appears that Fred VanVleet remains unlikely to play for the Houston Rockets this 2025-26 season.
During his pregame speech in the Rockets' Monday road game against the Chicago Bulls, Ime Udoka offered a key update about VanVleet's current recovery progress.
"Shooting, cutting, moving, non-contact," said Udoka about VanVleet's status. "That's pretty much the extent of the on-court. Right around the six-month mark and you can start to ramp up things, but no contact at any point soon, or nothing we're looking forward to, honestly."
About having contact works for VanVleet, Udoka stated: "It will come soon. Obviously, you're not looking at playing if you're not getting on the court and making contact at this late in the season."
The star guard offered multiple updates from the past about his recovery and the probability of playing this season. In his last address, he admitted that the timeline is not in his favor, but argued that it is still possible for him to rejoin the Rockets.
Led by Kevin Durant, the Rockets withstood challenges without the steady and critical point guard presence of VanVleet this season. But heading to the NBA Playoffs, their chances of competing for a title will be on a huge question mark without the veteran.
Only time will tell if VanVleet will manage to return this season for Houston.
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