The Rockets hold a $44.9MM club option on Fred VanVleet‘s contract for next season. The veteran guard hasn’t done himself any favors in the playoff series against Golden State. In the first three games, VanVleet made only 26.8% of his shots (11-of-41), including 20.7% of his three-pointers (6-of-29), while averaging 11.3 points and four assists in 41 minutes per game, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle points out. Game 4 is tonight.
“There’s times and places where I have to play better, I have to make shots at a higher clip,” VanVleet said. “I have to find rhythm and find ways to be more aggressive. But obviously, if I’m getting two on the ball at 28, 30 feet, I feel like I’ve done my job for that possession. If I can draw a mismatch and I can draw a best defender, there’s opportunity for other guys, I feel like I’ve done my job on that possession. So, it’s different ways to attack. I have to be better, 1,000%, and if I make two more shots we probably win Game 1. If I make a couple more (Saturday), we probably get out of here with a win, so that’s totally on me, for sure.”
We have more on the Rockets:
- The Game 3 loss to Golden State, in which the Warriors survived the absence of Jimmy Butler, showed that the Rockets probably need an offensive star to be true contenders, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes. Houston, which was held to 85 points in Game 1, was limited to 93 points in Game 3. If the Rockets decide to go shopping for a roster upgrade, Jalen Green — who signed a three-year, $106MM extension in October — is widely expected to be part of the deal, according to Amick.
- Houston needs to do a better job of holding down the Warriors’ role players, Kelly Iko of The Athletic notes. Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II combined for 33 points on 7-of-14 three-point attempts in Game 3. The Rockets also need Alperen Şengun to deliver in clutch moments. The center shot 7-for-18 from the field and made only one of six free throw attempts in Game 3.
- Backup big Jock Landale, who has yet to play in the series, is listed as probable for Game 4, Lerner tweets. Landale has been recovering from a knee contusion.