Reed Sheppard might have been drafted No. 3 overall, but going into his third season with the Houston Rockets, the dude has way more to prove than you might think. This isn’t some rebuilding squad letting a young gun figure it out; these Rockets won half their games the year before drafting him, then snagged 52 wins in his rookie year. That kind of winning means less patience for a 20-year-old trying to find his footing, which is probably why Sheppard spent parts of his rookie season down in the G League.
Stepping Up When the Rockets Needed Him Most
Last season, the stakes got real for Sheppard super fast. Fred VanVleet tore his ACL right before training camp, and suddenly, Sheppard’s role exploded. He was thrust onto a team with serious championship aspirations, and yeah, he was inconsistent at times, but he was also seriously impressive. The guy played all 82 games, started 21 of them, and finished fifth on the team in minutes per game. Without VanVleet, Houston leaned on him heavy as a point guard, and he handled the ball at the second-highest rate among Rockets playing at least 500 minutes.
His stats look good on paper: 13.5 points and 3.4 assists per game. His effective field goal percentage, which gives props for those crucial three-pointers, put him in the 72nd percentile among combo guards. And let’s be real, his shooting? That’s his superpower. He led the team chucking up seven 3-point attempts per game and hit a sick 39.4% of them. That spacing was absolutely vital for a Rockets offense that sometimes felt like it was playing in a phone booth.
The Double-Edged Sword: Growing Pains and Defensive Struggles
But here’s where it gets complicated, and honestly, where the questions start piling up. Sheppard wasn’t the passing maestro VanVleet was, and he definitely didn’t limit turnovers like the veteran. He could pull up for a three just like VanVleet, which is huge, but the overall impact on the floor tells a different story. Per DataBallr, the Rockets actually won Sheppard’s minutes by 3.9 points per 100 possessions, which sounds okay, right?
Here’s the kicker: Houston won the non-Sheppard minutes by a whopping 6.4 points per 100 possessions. A big part of that was improved rebounding on both ends without him out there. This isn’t just a minor blip; that’s a significant swing. Then there’s the defense. The kid struggled to stay in front of his assignments. Teams literally built their offenses around targeting him, especially when he was paired up with center Alperen Sengun, who isn’t exactly a rim-protecting god. When those two were on the court together, opposing teams were lighting them up. Seriously, it was a problem.
What’s Next for Sheppard in Houston?
Look, his second season was still promising, especially given the sudden weight put on his shoulders. The advanced metrics, like DARKO and EPM, which dig deep into player performance, put him in the 84th percentile among guards and 69th among all players. Those are high marks, for sure. But the on-court reality, especially with the defensive struggles and that minute-differential, means he’s absolutely got more to prove this season. Can he tighten up his passing? Can he stop being a target on defense? The Rockets need him to level up, and fast, if they really want to hang with the big dogs this year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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