Fred VanVleet struggles after aggravating ankle injury

Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings marked the long-awaited return of Fred VanVleet to the Houston Rockets’ lineup after missing a month due to a right ankle strain.

However, his comeback took an unfortunate turn almost immediately.

On the very first play of the game, VanVleet accidentally stepped on a referee’s foot, aggravating the same ankle that had kept him sidelined, as reported by Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle.

Despite the early setback, the veteran guard chose to remain in the game, logging 35 minutes of playing time.

Nevertheless, his performance was impacted by the injury, as he struggled offensively, scoring just three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field.

While his scoring was limited, VanVleet still contributed in other areas, adding five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

“I’ve been sitting long enough,” VanVleet said. “I had the training staff look at it, make sure it was nothing super serious, talked with coach a little bit.

“Obviously he noticed I wasn’t moving the best, so I was just trusting him at that point. If he decided to pull me I would’ve came out, but I wasn’t gonna take myself out the game. I’ll never do that.”