Houston Rockets DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (ankle) has been ruled out ahead of Saturday's game against the Utah Jazz. The veteran guard will now miss nine games in a row due to a lingering ankle issue. Head coach Ime Udoka said that Vanvleet felt soreness in his ankle following Thursday's practice. He continued by saying that Vanvleet is about 80 percent healthy right now. The team is going to wait and see how he feels before they make a decision about Vanvleet's status for next week. Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson should continue seeing increased roles for now.

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (hand) will make his return to the court on Friday. Smith has been out since the beginning of January due to a hand injury. He's back in the rotation on Friday, but he'll come off the bench. The move to have Smith play with the second unit is likely just the Rockets slowly ramping him back up to full speed. Once fully healthy, Smith figures to return to his role of playing 30-plus minutes per night. Fantasy managers probably won't get too much from Smith during his first game back on the court. It shouldn't take too long before Smith is back to playing his normal role.

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (ankle) was originally considered a game-time decision, according to head coach Ime Udoka. He's since been downgraded to out on the team's official injury report due to the same ankle issue that has kept him sidelined since February 1. Outside of VanVleet, this is the healthiest the Rockets' main rotation has been in a long time. The ever-changing lineups have made it difficult to pin down streaming options in Houston, but Dillon Brooks seems to be the most consistent outside of the top few. Tari Eason could be a solid option in deep leagues as he returns to the lineup with averages of 11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (ankle) missed the last seven games before the All-Star break, but coach Ime Udoka said he would be a game-time decision on Friday when the Rockets take on the Timberwolves. In his 45 games this season, FVV averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in 35.5 minutes per game. While he has been sidelined, Amen Thompson and Aaron Holiday stepped into larger roles and turned in big games. With Jabari Smith Jr. (hand) also expected to return on Friday, it could be a very different Rockets' rotation against Minnesota, although Udoka declined to name a starting five on Thursday.

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (hand) said he is ready to return on Friday when the Rockets resume their season against the Timberwolves after the All-Star break. Coach Ime Udoka said that Smith would not be on any minutes restriction, even though it will be his first game since January 1. Smith started all 33 of his games this season, averaging 30.9 minutes, 11.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. With Fred VanVleet (ankle) a game-time decision, Udoka declined to say whether Smith would start or come off the bench, but his return will have a big impact as the Rockets try to make a push for the postseason.