The Houston Rockets sported the NBA's No. 10 offense from Opening Night through Feb.1, a marked jump from last year's bottom-10 mark. Recent weeks featured a severe regression, with one player's absence as a central culprit.
"Fred [VanVleet] is crucial to our whole ecosystem," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Monday. "His IQ and the headiness that he plays with, we're missing some of that."
Udoka said his team's point guard could return Tuesday at Toyota Center after a nine-game absence due to an ankle injury, and a final determination will be made on VanVleet's availability early Tuesday night.