After being poised to emerge as a title contender in the West, the Houston Rockets suffered a significant blow to their rotation. With Fred VanVleet suffering an ACL injury during training, the guard is expected to be sidelined for a large portion of the season, if not all of it.
To address this loss, the Rockets have been linked to several potential targets to replace the former All-Star. However, due to their salary cap constraints and summer signings, completing a trade before Dec. 15th would not be possible without moving some of their untouchable players.
Although this leaves Houston in a relatively tough position, the team may not need to look beyond its roster for VanVleet’s replacement after all. With a talented young guard in Reed Sheppard, the Houston Rockets could realistically consider having him step into the starting spot to replace the former All-Star.
While these could be big shoes to fill for a sophomore guard, Sheppard has shown a lot of upside in his recent outings this preseason. Coming off an impressive performance to lead Houston to a 133-115 win against the Atlanta Hawks, the 21-year-old could be making a solid case for himself to earn more playing time in the rotation.
In 29 minutes played against the Hawks, Sheppard posted 29 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals, and three blocks, while shooting 12-for-22 from the field and 5-for-13 from three-point range.
Having already established himself as a promising sharpshooter, Sheppard demonstrated more layers to his game against Atlanta. From playmaking and distribution to defensive contributions, he is living up to his reputation as a former lottery pick.
Should The Rockets Commit To Reed Sheppard’s Growth?
In his rookie season, Reed Sheppard didn’t receive many opportunities to establish himself in the Rockets’ rotation. In only 12.6 minutes played per game, the 21-year-old averaged only 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on 35.1% shooting overall.
Although these aren’t inspiring figures, the young guard showed flashes of brilliance when given the opportunity. One of his highlight performances from last season featured a scoring outburst against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 31 minutes, Sheppard put up 25 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block on 58.8% shooting from the field and 42.9% from deep.
While this could be considered an outlier, it could equally be perceived as proof of potential. To that point, his development over the offseason has also been worth acknowledging.
In the Summer League, he averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 4.0 steals per game on 36.4% shooting from the field. Considering that he was only pulled after two games, there is evidence to suggest that the Rockets were convinced of his growth.
While this is a small sample size, the 21-year-old has sustained his form into the preseason as well. After four games, he is averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals on 51.2% shooting overall and 40.7% from three-point range in 23.1 minutes.
Sheppard may not have the playmaking upside that is typically expected of a point guard. But considering that Houston’s offense typically runs through Alperen Sengun, the sophomore guard may find himself in a favorable position to maximize his versatile scoring ability while acting as a secondary playmaker instead.
When the franchise was being linked with players to replace Fred VanVleet, Rockets forward Kevin Durant displayed immense faith in Sheppard. To that point, the guard has also highlighted how Durant’s influence has impacted his development.
Even without VanVleet, the Houston Rockets still feature enough talent on their roster to create a formidable starting lineup. However, the opportunity to cultivate Sheppard’s talent could prove quite worthwhile.
