Fred VanVleet was cleared on Sunday's injury report after being listed day-to-day with a right knee and leg issue. The Rockets host the Celtics on Monday night with their starting guard no longer carrying a designation.
What happened
Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was cleared on the injury report Sunday, Nov. 1, at 3:43 p.m. ET. He had been moved from out to day-to-day earlier that day with a right knee and leg issue. He was listed out on Saturday, Oct. 31, for the same issue. The report gave no further detail and no comment with the update. This is the second time he has gone through the cycle. He was cleared from day-to-day on Oct. 25 after a stretch of being listed out with the knee and leg issue. The 32-year-old was first listed day-to-day for rest on Oct. 24.
What it means for the Rockets
Houston plays the Celtics on Monday, Nov. 2, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Rockets are 6-1, the second seed, and have won their last game. VanVleet gives them 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 30.4 minutes over five games. The Rockets are 4-1 with him and 2-0 without him. In those two games, Marcus Smart played 25.3 minutes and scored 11.8 points a night. Reed Sheppard played 23.4 minutes and scored 10.5, and Bogdan Bogdanovic played 14.3 minutes. Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant each played about 34 minutes.
What to watch
VanVleet carries no designation, so the next thing to track is whether he starts and how many minutes he plays against Boston. A return date is no longer the question, and none was announced. The Rockets still have other names on the report. Sheppard is day-to-day with a back and torso issue, and Clint Capela is day-to-day with a right ankle and leg issue. Steven Adams is out with a right calf and leg issue. The Celtics game is the only one on the schedule so far.
Is Fred VanVleet playing vs the Celtics?
He was cleared on Sunday's injury report and has no designation for Monday's game. The Rockets host the Celtics on Monday, Nov. 2, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
When will Fred VanVleet be back?
He was cleared on Sunday, Nov. 1, after being listed day-to-day with a right knee and leg issue. No separate return date was announced.