The Rockets have almost certainly confirmed that they will not be making any trades to acquire an additional point guard before the upcoming February 5 trade deadline. They lost Fred VanVleet to an ACL injury in September, but haven’t completely ruled out his return if they make the playoffs.
According to Michael C. Wright of ESPN, Ime Udoka has confirmed that they will not be looking for a point guard in the trade market. On a recent episode of ‘Howdy Partners,’ Tim McMahon’s podcast with Wright, the two ESPN employees discussed the Rockets’ situation with a focus on their young point guard, Reed Sheppard.
“Ime [Udoka] sort of said that he’s got to play,” said Wright while discussing the expectations on Reed Sheppard’s shoulder. “He and Amen are going to be keys to really making that offense work as the season progresses, and there ain’t no help coming man.”
“Ime told me that they are not going to get a point guard at the trade deadline, said ‘Hey, you know the second apron is what it is, we didn’t have that much money anyway to work with’ so there’s no help coming to get better.”
“Unless it’s Fred Van Vleet back for the playoffs, which we’ve talked about; it’s a goal, certainly not a guarantee, and then even if he is cleared. You don’t know. I mean, a guy seven plus months removed from an ACL, boy! So yeah, they need Reed Shepard to perform,” Wright concluded.
The Rockets currently have only $1.2 million in first apron space, which is not sufficient to acquire a franchise-altering point guard at this point in the season without trading key players.
Reed Sheppard has given the Rockets’ offense a solid boost, but remains to be considered a defensive liability against players much bigger than his size, which adds to Kevin Durant’s analysis on why the Rockets aren’t title-contenders just yet.
The six-foot-two-inch point guard is currently averaging 13.0 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.6 rebounds midway through his second season with the team. He is shooting 44.4% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc.
While Amen Thompson is also originally a playmaking point guard, Udoka often uses him as a wing in his offensive system, therefore putting the main spotlight on Reed Sheppard to take up the traditional point guard role.
Fred VanVleet has been a prominent courtside presence during games and has also been a participant in team shootarounds while he recovers from his ACL injury.
It is logical to conclude that Fred VanVleet’s return is not off the books, but the Rockets would likely only bring him back into action if they need him during the postseason; he will not be playing a regular season game until necessary.
The Rockets fans are hoping Reed Sheppard steps up and delivers in the crucial moments like he has shown glimpses of during the regular season. But experience is a key factor to be considered while analyzing what might make Sheppard a liability for the Rockets in the postseason.
For now, the Rockets are showing full faith in their young guards, Sheppard and Thompson, to take them all the way this season.
