It seems increasingly unlikely that Fred VanVleet will be able to rejoin the Rockets for their playoff push, Varun Shankar writes for the Houston Chronicle.
The veteran point guard, who has been out since September with a torn ACL, expressed hope earlier this month that he’d be able to return this season, but head coach Ime Udoka‘s recent comments made that seem unlikely.
“On-court shooting, cutting, moving, non-contact. That’s pretty much the extent of the on-court (work),” Udoka said. “… (Contact will) come soon but you’re obviously not looking at playing if you’re not getting on the court and making contact this late in the season.”
General manager Rafael Stone expressed confidence in his point guard and his role on the team.
“He’s a big part of what we’ve done over the last two years and we expect he’s going to be a big part of what we do moving forward,” Stone said. “He’s literally the toughest NBA player I’ve ever met. If he can play, he’ll play.”
The Rockets are sixth in the West heading into Wednesday’s games and are just a game behind the fourth-place Nuggets.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
Brandon Williams took to the court on Wednesday morning’s shootaround for the Mavericks after being upgraded to questionable thanks to the concussion that caused him to miss the last three games, Grant Afseth writes for Dallas Hoops Journal. Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News speculates (via Twitter) that his changed status could indicate his favorable chances of clearing concussion protocol.
**Jordan McLaughlin‘s presence and professionalism have allowed the Spurs to rest some of their starters down the stretch without losing ground, Tom Orsborn writes for the San Antonio Express-News. “J-Mac gave us 10 minutes of really mature, professional basketball*,” coach Mitch Johnson said after a close win over the Clippers last week. “*We needed every second.” Johnson said that the team specifically targeted him in their trade negotiations with the Kings that brought over De’Aaron Fox. “We definitely didn’t view him as a throw in,” Johnson said. “… McLaughlin had good times in Minnesota and played well for Sacramento at times. And he was someone we thought could be a good member of this team. And we brought him back this year when he was a free agent.”
Ryan Nembhard recently discussed his rookie season growth with the Mavericks, Afseth writes. “I’ve been trying to get more catch-and-shoot threes off — that’s a big thing for me,” Nembhard said. “Just trying to space the floor, make guys close out, and respect my jump shot has been important.” He admitted that the length and demanding nature of the NBA season was unlike anything he’d experienced as a basketball player until now, but that the All-Star break was a good break to get back to his usual form.