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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said on The Draymond Green Show that Fred VanVleet is the quarterback of the Houston Rockets, who host Golden State at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Toyota Center to open a five-game Warriors road trip, according to the NBA. ESPN will carry the game, and both teams enter at 8-3, per CBS Sports.
VanVleet missed the 2025-26 season after tearing his ACL just before training camp. He exercised his $25 million player option to stay in Houston for this season, according to Bleacher Report. VanVleet originally signed a three-year, $129 million contract with the Rockets in 2023, per Sports Illustrated. VanVleet had 6 points and 11 assists in his return, a 128-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks, according to CBS Sports.
“Fred VanVleet is the quarterback of that team. He is the floor general of that team,” Green said. “And when he went down last year, that Houston team was never the same, and they were never going to be the same. You take the quarterback off of an NFL team, and they’re never the same.”
Fred VanVleet’s Return
VanVleet scored 24 points, 15 of them in the third quarter, in a 132-100 win at Milwaukee on Oct. 28, according to Field Level Media. Houston is holding him out of one game of each back-to-back set, with Marcus Smart starting in those games, per Sports Illustrated. The Rockets signed Smart to a two-year, $13 million contract in the offseason, according to Sports Illustrated. Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year, played for Rockets coach Ime Udoka in Boston. He scored 24 points with 7 3-pointers in a 119-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to Field Level Media. Kevin Durant scored 18 points in the win at Milwaukee, a game Smart missed with an elbow injury. Smart scored 12 first-quarter points in his first start in place of VanVleet, according to Field Level Media.
“Aside from being the floor general, being their point guard, being the head of the snake, I think he’s one of their leaders,” Green said. “And so losing him before the season even got going last year, it made a big difference in their year. Well, they now have him back.”
“I saw last night he played 30 minutes, and so Fred is back, fully healthy, and it’s showing in Houston’s game,” Green said. “Marcus Smart has been a big addition for this Houston Rockets team. They’re playing really good basketball.”
Warriors Open The Road Trip In Houston
Golden State finished a 6-0 homestand with a 138-87 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski each scored 25 points in that game, according to The Associated Press. Reserve guard Brandon Williams left that game with a left hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in a week, CBS News Bay Area reported.
“As I said, it’ll be a tough game. We’ve had a lot of success in Houston,” Green said. “It’s a place that we enjoy playing, and we want to keep this momentum that we have going.”
After Houston, the Warriors visit the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans, Dallas, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Green said the Spurs are also on a winning streak and that Golden State would be happy to leave the trip 3-2.
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