Draymond Green says the league ignored what losing Fred VanVleet cost the Rockets

Draymond Green believes the league has been underrating what the Houston Rockets get back this season, and he put the whole case on one player: Fred VanVleet, the point guard who missed all of 2025-26.

Speaking on his own podcast, The Draymond Green Show, in a clip the show posted on Sunday, October 18, the Golden State Warriors forward said people chose to look past the guard’s absence a year ago. “Fred VanVleet’s back,” Green said, before describing what it does to a roster when its lead ballhandler, who is also its leader, disappears: “that’s brutal.”

Draymond on how he views the Rockets going into this season

"Everybody tried to ignore it last year, but Fred VanVleet's back, outside of KD, you pull the point guard out the equation, who's also by the way, the leader of that team, that's brutal!… you pull the point guard off… pic.twitter.com/OP94ihDUZw

— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) October 18, 2026

Green speaks from experience

Green drew the comparison from his own locker room. He pointed to what happens in Golden State whenever Stephen Curry is off the floor, and argued that most teams, not only his, start to struggle once their point guard is taken away. Outside of Kevin Durant, he suggested, no one matters more to how Houston plays.

The timing gives his view extra weight. Curry left the Warriors’ open practice early on Sunday with a right ankle sprain, and Steve Kerr has called him fine without giving a timeline. Green is about to see the theory tested on his own team.

What VanVleet missed, and what he has shown

VanVleet tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee during a workout in September 2025, weeks before last season began, and did not play a single game. Houston still reached the 2026 playoffs, but its run ended in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Amen Thompson carrying much of the ballhandling load.

The 32-year-old was cleared before camp and went straight back into the starting five next to Thompson, Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun. His best exhibition night came on October 9 in Macao, where he scored 17 points with seven assists and made five three-pointers against the Dallas Mavericks. Coach Ime Udoka said on Sunday that VanVleet will open the season with no minutes limit, though the team plans to be careful with him on back-to-back nights early on. (Read our story.)

Houston also added Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic over the summer and closed the preseason by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-89 on October 15. With VanVleet running the offense, Thompson can move back toward the wing, which is the change Green is betting will show up in the standings.

What comes next

VanVleet’s return becomes official on Wednesday, October 21, when the Rockets host the Mavericks at Toyota Center at 8:30 p.m. ET (Game Center). Green and the Warriors open later that night at the Lakers at 10:00 p.m. ET (Game Center).