Rocket starting point guard Fred Van Vleet recently suffered a devastating torn ACL that will likely keep them out for the entirety of next season. This puts the Rockets in a very tough spot since Van Vleet was the only genuine point guard on the roster. This injury has exposed the Rockets’ lack of death at a very important position, which is a weakness that the Pistons also share.
The Pistons lack point guard depth
Outside of Cade Cunningham, the Pistons don’t have another true point guard on their roster. They are currently expected to rely on natural shooting guards to play the back up point guard role. This can mean Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert or Marcus Sasser being the primary playmaker when Cade is off the floor.
Of course, this could be problematic even in a normal game whenever Cade needs to take a breather or is in foul trouble. But the real issue comes if Cade ever has to miss a game. In that scenario, the Pistons would really be bereft of any solid playmaking, and the offense would struggle.
The Rockets’ outlook after Van Vleet’s injury really emphasizes the importance of a solid point guard. Fred Van Vleet is not nearly the scorer or all-around talent that Cade Cunningham is at this point in his career, but he still has an important job for the Rockets. Despite shooting just 37 percent overall from the field last season, Vanvleet was a stabilizing force for the Raptors' offense.
His steady playmaking (5.6 assists per game vs just 1.5 turnovers) and willingness to take deep threes (nearly 8 per game) opened up the office for other non-shooters. Without him the Rockets don’t have any other great post entry passers to feed Alperen Sengun, or set up Kevin Durant on the midrange block. Additionally, the lack of three point shooting in the rest of their starting lineup, even with Kevin Durant, can give defenses an easy out when Van Vleet is not playing.
The Rockets may start the season with Amen Thompson at point guard, a position that is not his natural fit. Over the course of the season, we may see more opportunity for last year’s number three overall pick Reed Shepherd to fill in to the starting point guard spot too.
Detroit’s point guard rotation is not quite as dire as Houston’s. The Pistons have some more experience in their makeshift backup point guards but this recent news is a great reminder that the Pistons should do more to add point guard depth. At this point, it’s almost certainly too late to pick up a quality backup point guard in free agency, but there are trade options which can help fill out the roster.