If Van Vritte is reimbursed for the season, how will Uduka be laid out? 4 players are available! Trading can be strengthened in the mid-season

When ESPN famous reporter Shams Charania took the lead in revealing the news that Rockets' main defender Fred VanVleet suffered an ACL and is likely to be reimbursed for the season, many fans were worried about the Houston Rockets' prospects for the new season. After all, Van Vreet is the core point guard who just renewed his contract with $50 million for two years and two years. In the seven games of the playoffs last season, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1 steal per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 43%, which is the key pusher for the Rockets to the playoffs. Even though his form declined during the regular season, his average of 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game is still an irreplaceable "backbone" at the team's No. 1 position.

But Rockets coach Uduka doesn't seem anxious about the season reimbursement of Van Vreet. His calmness is not blind confidence, but is derived from the team's "backhand" already set up in the point guard position - four alternative players with different styles, which are enough to support the rotation in the early stage of the season; more importantly, the team still has a flexible trading plan in the middle of the season and is fully capable of adjusting the lineup according to the situation. Van Vreet's injury is certainly a loss, but it is by no means a "fatal blow" that puts the Rockets in a desperate situation.

Wuduka's confidence first comes from the deep reserves of the four players in the point guard position. These four people are not "firefighters" that are temporarily pieced together, but roles that the team intends to cultivate or introduce during the offseason and lineup construction, and each has the ability to fill Van Vritte's vacancy. The first to bear the brunt is Amen Thompson. Although he was occasionally pushed to the power forward position to make a cameo last season, point guard is his "old profession". As a young player with star potential, Amen has outstanding physical fitness. He can not only break through and tear open the defense line with the ball, but also complete the promotion in offense and defense conversion, and also has a good passing vision. Previously when Van Vritte was healthy, Amen's position flexibility provided tactical changes for the Rockets; now Van Vritte is injured, and he can completely return to the familiar No. 1 position, share organizational pressure with excellent impact force, and even play the role of "second ball holding point" at critical moments, becoming an important fulcrum in Uduka's tactical system.

The second is Shepard, the high-ranking rookie who fell out of rotation last season, now has ushered in the most critical node of his career. At the beginning of last season, the Rockets had high hopes for Shepard and entrusted him with the important task of substituting point guard, but he failed to adapt to the NBA rhythm in time and faded out of the rotation in the middle. However, after a summer of special training, Shepard's progress is obvious to all - the defensive ability on the defensive end is significantly improved, which is no longer the "defensive loophole" that was easily targeted in the past; the offensive end is also polishing the stability of three-pointers. If the offseason training results can be transformed into the game, he will not only be a substitute point guard, but also have the opportunity to become the starting candidate in the early stage of the season. For the Rockets, it would undoubtedly be a "unexpected surprise" if Shepard took the opportunity to get ahead and grow: his rookie contract is only $10.6 million, which is extremely cost-effective. If he can shoulder part of the responsibility of the No. 1 position, it will greatly alleviate the team's personnel pressure, and it is more like the Rockets' long-term answer to the future backcourt.

Aron Holiday, who is the third choice, is the "stabilizer" of the Rockets' point guard. Holiday, who joined the offseason with a basic salary of more than 3 million US dollars, does not have top-level organizational skills, but has distinct technical characteristics: his three-point shooting is sharp and he showed a stable outside threat last season; he is positive on the defensive end and can match the opponent's No. 1 and No. 2 players; he also has the ability to carry the ball and quickly sort out the offense in fast attacks. Such traits make him a perfect "functional substitute" - when the starting point guard needs a rest, Holiday can quickly connect to the second team's offense, not only does not occupy too much ball rights, but also provides instant firepower, which is an indispensable part of the Uduka rotation system.

The last alternative is two-way contract player JD Davidson, who is perhaps the most overlooked "hidden guarantee". When playing for the Celtics' Development League team last season, Davidson performed a star-level performance, not only being elected as the best player in the Development League, but also handed over convincing average data, showing solid basic point guard skills and scoring ability. Although he is still on the edge of the NBA and may not be able to enter regular rotation, as a two-way contract player (annual salary of only more than 100,000 US dollars), he added a "safety net" to the Rockets' point guard - once there is a wave of injuries or tension in personnel rotation, Davidson can be used as an "emergency option" to avoid the team from falling into a dilemma of no one available.

Although Uduka has four players to choose from in the early stage, the team has not given up its long-term strengthening plan for No. 1 position. With Van Vreet injured, the Rockets are eligible to apply for a $14.1 million injury special case, according to ESPN salary expert Bobby Marks. However, the problem is that the team is currently only 1.25 million US dollars away from the "first tyrant line". Due to the rules of the tyrant line, even if the special case of injury is approved, the Rockets cannot directly use it to sign the 15th standard contract player - this means that the path of "relying on special case of injury" will not work in the short term. But the Rockets have already prepared for the back-up. As Jake Weinbach revealed, the team's core strategy is "observation in the early season and adjustments in the medium term." At the beginning of the season, Uduka will push Shepard to the starting point guard position, which will test his growth results on the one hand, and on the other hand, it will allow Amen, Holiday and others to find the best position in the rotation. If Shepard can continue to perform stably, the Rockets' No. 1 position problem will be solved; if he fails to meet expectations, the team will launch a trading plan, using Shepard as the core bargaining chip to find a better point guard replacement in the market.

From the current free agent market, Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons are the only remaining point guard candidates. Although Westbrook is 35 years old, he still showed good impact and passing ability last season, which can provide the team with immediate organization and scoring help; Ben Simmons has top-level defense and support capabilities. If he can restore his shooting confidence, he can also adapt to the Rockets' offensive and defensive system. Of course, to introduce these two players, the Rockets need to make room for salary through trades - and Shepard, as a young player, has both potential and low-cost advantages, happens to be an attractive bargaining chip for trading. However, Houston media pointed out that compared to Westbrook and Simmons, the Rockets are more focused on the situation in the Clippers in the new season. Once the Clippers are severely punished for Leonard's Yin-Yang contract incident, the team is likely to lose competitiveness, and the Rockets can send Van Vreet and Shepard away to get Harden.

More importantly, the Rockets do not need to overdraft the future in trading. The team's inside lineup (Shin Kyung, Adams, Capela) and forward lineup (Durant, Smith Jr., Ethan, Okogie, Finney Smith) are already strong, and the star players and role players are well equipped. Just focus on strengthening at the No. 1 position to make the entire lineup more competitive. This operation of "exchanging key positions with existing depth" has controllable risks and considerable returns, and is also in line with the Rockets' long-term plan to hit the playoffs and even higher goals. Although Van Vreet's season reimbursement casts a shadow on the Rockets' new season, it also tests the team's lineup depth and management's response wisdom. For the Rockets, this accident may also be an "opportunity": young players such as Shepard can get more opportunities for growth, the team can more clearly judge the potential of the existing lineup, and may even create a more competitive lineup through mid-term trading. As the NBA often says, "Injuries are also part of the game", whether you can find a way to break through in difficulties is often a watershed between strong teams and ordinary teams.