Fred VanVleet on returning after a year out: “I’m appreciating every minute”

Fred VanVleet says being back on the floor has restored things he could not get from watching: the pressure of a game, the hurt of a loss and the release of competing. Speaking with the Inside the NBA crew in an interview shared by NBA on ESPN, the Houston Rockets guard described a different appreciation for basketball after a full year away.

“It’s a joy. It’s a pleasure and just grateful to be back,” VanVleet said. “I’m appreciating every minute.”

What he missed

VanVleet said he thought he already understood how much the game meant to him. Not being able to play changed that.

“You just don’t realize how much you take for granted,” he said. “There’s no stakes. There’s no consequences when you don’t play. You don’t get to feel the hurt of a loss the same.”

He also missed getting his energy out and the escape of being on the court. Now, he said, “It feels like I haven’t missed a step.” That is his assessment of playing again, not a new medical clearance or a change to a game designation.

Still building the offense

Asked about similarities between Houston’s offense and the style he played in Toronto, VanVleet said the Rockets are still putting it together.

“It’s not quite there yet. We’re still building,” he said. “You can see it’s a little sloppy, a little stagnant at times. … We got the pieces for it. We just got to continue to put it together.”

VanVleet credited his brother and trainer JD Danforth, the Rockets and their training staff for the work that brought him back. He described a full year of rehabilitation, then a gradual build back onto the court. The next step, he said, is to keep progressing.

Earlier this season, VanVleet described the strain of watching from the bench in a separate interview: Fred VanVleet says a season on the bench gave him migraines and taught him he doesn’t want to coach.