The Rockets defeated the Hawks 133-115 in the final game of their preseason run. The Rockets played this game without seven key players in rotation, and Reed Sheppard led all scorers with 29 points to lead them to this win. In essence, only four regular rotation players started this game alongside a two-way player. Meanwhile, the Hawks played all their starters and treated the game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.
Among the few rotation players on the Rockets, all eyes were on Reed Sheppard, who dropped 29 points with six rebounds, six assists, four steals, and three blocks, while shooting 54.5% from the field. Truly stuffing the box score like a player on the verge of a breakout season.
Following the game, Sheppard sat down for an interview with NBA TV, where he spoke about Kevin Durant’s influence on the team and how his habits behind the camera are also what help Sheppard find motivation regularly.
“For me, that’s an easy one. I would just say his work ethic. When he walks into the gym and starts working out, you can tell just how hard he works. He’s going game speed every time he touches the ball, so that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned,” says Shappard when asked about what he learned from Durant since his arrival this summer. “You can tell it’s definitely benefited him. You know what he does, you know how he plays. So seeing him work that hard has been good for me.”
The interviewer then asked Sheppard if there was anything Durant did behind the cameras that people don’t see to help the young players like him on the team.
“It’s really cool for me. I’m still young, so I grew up watching him. And now being on the same team as him is really cool. He’s really good at building you up, saying ‘Good pass’, ‘Good shot’, all this stuff, so it’s the little things that most people don’t see. The high-fives and the smack to the back, that stuff goes a long way, especially coming from a guy like him,” said Sheppard in conclusion.
Earlier this summer, Kevin Durant showed faith in Reed Sheppard’s abilities to become a regular starting point guard for the Rockets. And now, Reed Sheppard returns the show of confidence by almost single-handedly destroying the Hawks’ starters without any of the regular rotation players on the court to support him.
The former No. 3 pick of the Draft, Reed Sheppard, is primed to take over the starting point guard role this season for the Rockets as Fred VanVleet has been sidelined for the season with an ACL injury. And in tonight’s game against the Hawks, he has proved that he is a worthy candidate to be considered for that position.
He played in all four preseason games for the Rockets and ended up averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 44% from beyond the three-point line. The Rockets have been undefeated in the last four games and are now headed to play against the Thunder on the opening night of their regular season. Do you think Sheppard has earned a regular starter role for himself? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
