The Houston Rockets begin training camp this week with a handful of notable new players and one significant absence.

Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet will miss most of the season after undergoing surgery last week on his torn right ACL. Although many of the questions at Rockets’ media day were surrounding new star player Kevin Durant, how Houston fills the VanVleet void will be just as critical to defining the team’s ceiling (and floor) this season.

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Rockets coach Ime Udoka said on Monday that while guards Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard will handle the ball more often, several other players including Durant and center Alperen Şengün are expected to help facilitate in VanVleet’s absence.

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“I think it’ll be a committee, all of the above,” Udoka said. “I think we have a lot of versatility and different ways we can go, and some of that will play out in training camp but obviously we’ve started to look at different options of guys that will get expanded roles. You look at Amen, you look at Reed: Those guys were going to play a lot more and initiate a lot more and handle the ball a lot more anyway. And so that will get expedited a little bit and we can go with a lot of different directions. KD is a great scorer, initiator that can do some things. Alpi, obviously, for a center as well. So we have a lot of options we go to.”

Last season, VanVleet was not the most singular talent on the roster in terms of sheer skill, but his combination of experience running the offense and ability to hit clutch shots was unmatched by anyone else on the team.

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That’s why the Rockets won’t rely on just one person to replace him.

“I just think that playmaking is a team thing,” Durant said. “I think that (the more) plays we make for each other throughout the game, the better. Sometimes you don’t always get the assist for it. Sometimes just when you touch the ball then you create a play for your teammates. So if we play together, we play off of each other, we move our bodies and we move the ball, I think that we all can showcase our playmaking talents.”

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However, the Rockets have a lot riding on the development of former lottery picks Thompson and Sheppard. Thompson grew up playing point guard but spent his first two seasons with the Rockets primarily in an off-ball role. Sheppard, the No. 3 pick of the 2024 draft, averaged just 12.6 minutes in 52 games as a rookie and so has limited experience as an NBA point guard.

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“Reed and Amen are going to be the best two point guards that we have out there and they’re gonna do a great job,” said veteran Aaron Holiday, the only other point guard on the roster. “Now there’s no other choice but to take the next step with Fred being out.”

Udoka said the Rockets aren’t going to simplify the offense to make things easier for Thompson and Sheppard but rather will continue to add to their playbook as planned before VanVleet went down.

“It’s hard to emulate the experience and some IQ and some of the things that Fred has, just from a standpoint of the things he’s gone through and being on championship level,” Udoka said. “But Reed is one of our more cerebral players that not only can shoot but read the court very well and make the right plays. And so Amen’s very different when he plays the game. He’s a fast break at his own pace. He pushes it extremely hard, and we’re asking everybody else to keep up. So it’ll look a little bit different when those two are handling.”

That means Houston might look very non-traditional at times, with the potential to morph from small-ball lineups featuring Sheppard at point and Jabari Smith Jr. or Durant at center into a gigantic Monstars-esque team with the 6-foot-7 Thompson alongside double bigs.

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NEW ROLE: Reed Sheppard ready to show what he can do

On Monday, Sheppard proclaimed his confidence to be at an “all-time high,” and Thompson said he was ready for the increased responsibility.

Thompson said he spent the summer working on his ball handling and his 3-point shooting after he shot 27.5% behind the arc last season.

“I’m very confident in my shot right now,” Thompson said. “Not just corner, but 3’s around the court – maybe not Curry range, but 3’s a lot more. And I know what my game is. I know my game is getting downhill, creating for myself and others. So I’m never going to get addicted to the 3, but I feel like I’m confident in what I’ve been working on.”

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The Rockets will also look again to Şengün, who for the last two seasons served as a playmaking hub and point of attack out of the high post or along the baseline. While playing for the Turkish national team in FIBA EuroBasket, Şengün frequently dribbled the ball up and initiated offensive sets from the top of the halfcourt, and said he expects to have the same freedom with the Rockets.

“EuroBasket was kind of practice for me to come over here for the new season,” Şengün said. “I was testing what I can do over there and at the same time win the games, so I wasn’t trying to do too much. I was trying to do normal so I can see what I can do and show it over here when I come back.”

Şengün said that he was on a flight back to Houston when he heard about VanVleet’s injury, which happened during a workout in the Bahamas. Şengün was as upset as if he’d been injured himself.

“I didn’t want to believe it,” Şengün said. “He’s been our leader for last two years and he’s a great guy. He played for the team. That really hurt me and actually hurt the team, too. But you know, we just got to be strong for him and carry the team until the playoffs and hope for him to come back in playoffs and help us with the championship.”

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Even though Şengün hinted at it, there is no current timeline for VanVleet’s return. The Rockets will closely monitor his rehab. Udoka said he saw VanVleet getting treatment at the team facility the day after his surgery.

“I’ve had two ACLs myself, so I know how they start bending on you from day one,” Udoka said. “He was a little woozy and drugged up a little bit, but getting right after it. So not really worried about his approach to it. He’ll attack the rehab process, and already started that, so he’s in good spirits.”