Reed Sheppard has impressed for the Houston Rockets lately, and Amen Thompson wants his teammate to start being even more aggressive on the court. Following the Rockets’ 135-112 win over the Washington Wizards at Toyota Center on Wednesday, Sheppard revealed in his press conference that Thompson had hilariously threatened violence if he didn’t shoot when he was open.
“Amen told me in the weight room just a minute ago,” Sheppard stated, via Big Sarge Media. “He said, ‘If you take one more dribble when you’re open and there’s no shooting, I’m gonna punch you in the face.'”
Thompson later confirmed that he had indeed told Sheppard that he’d punch him.
“I did say that,” Thompson said, via Danielle Lerner.
That’s just how much confidence Thompson has in Sheppard as a shooter. He wants his teammate to let it fly when an opportunity presents itself.
Thompson had previously stated that he would pass the ball to Sheppard if he were open because he’s a “bucket.” The Rockets players have a lot of confidence in the 21-year-old, and he was asked how much that helps him on the court.
“That’s everything,” Sheppard said. “You could argue that your teammates having confidence in you is more than you having confidence in yourself.”
Sheppard had somewhat been written off after a difficult rookie season. The Rockets had selected him with the third pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he didn’t get too much playing time in 2024-25.
Sheppard put up 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game as a rookie. He played just 12.6 minutes a night on average, and it was clear that head coach Ime Udoka didn’t completely trust him.
It didn’t seem like Sheppard would get much playing time as a sophomore either, but Fred VanVleet then tore his ACL in October. That meant the Rockets were going to have to give the guard a bigger role, and he has stepped up after a bit of a slow start.
Sheppard had 21 points (8-11 FG), three rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block against the Wizards. He has scored in double digits in five of his last six games and has shot 60.8% from the field in that stretch.
Sheppard is giving the Rockets a spark off the bench and has played his part in their success offensively so far this season. Their 123.1 offensive rating is the best in the NBA, and not many would have seen that coming in VanVleet’s absence. It will be interesting to see if they are able to keep this up.
As for the other end of the court, the Rockets’ 112.1 defensive rating ranks seventh. You’d assume Thompson would get a lot of credit for that, but he hasn’t been his usual excellent self. Having to take on a bigger role in the offense as the point guard could well have played a part in that.
Still, Thompson did put up 18 points (8-11 FG), one rebound, eight assists, three steals, and one block against the Wizards, as the Rockets improved to 7-3. They have lived up to the hype up to this point and will be in action next against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Toyota Center on Friday at 8 PM ET.
This clash between the Rockets and Trail Blazers is also an NBA Cup game, and the hosts are 0-1 in the competition after losing to the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 7. Another loss here could well knock them out of contention for the knockouts.
