The Rockets managed to pull off a 19-point comeback tonight against the Magic as Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard came up clutch for Houston in a 113-108 win over Orlando.
Durant led all scorers with 40 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals while shooting 14-28 from the field (50.0 FG%) but struggling 2-10 from beyond the arc (20.0 3P%).
Reed Sheppard took over the responsibility of spacing the floor with his lethal shooting ability. He ended the game with 20 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks while going 7-11 from the floor (63.6 FG%) and 5-7 from behind the three-point line (71.4 3P%).
Most of Sheppard’s points (17 of 20) came in the second half as the Rockets came back from being down 19 points midway through the third quarter. Following the game, Durant spoke to the sideline reporter, Cassidy Hubbarth, and expressed his opinions on Sheppard.
“It changes us. It takes us to a different level. Being able to shoot from that far out, getting to the rim, making the right plays, guarding up, and getting steals. The more and more he’s on the floor, the more comfortable he’s going to get, and we’re going to need that going forward,” said Durant.
Durant has always been a vocal supporter of Sheppard as a key piece on the team. The 21-year-old guard is currently averaging 13.1 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 58 games played this season while shooting 43.2% from the field and 39.8% from three-point range.
In only seven of those games, Sheppard was a starter, where he averaged 15.9 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 42.7% from the floor and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
“Just his poise. They tried to pressure him, but he didn’t let that pressure get to him. He kept shooting and went 7-of-11 (from the field) and was 5-7 (from three-point range). When the ball hit his hands, it just felt good. His mechanics, his footwork, everything,” said Durant on Sheppard’s performance during the locker room media scrum.
“His fundamentals were on point. As soon as he let those balls go, I felt like they were going in. He was also aggressive on the defensive side of the ball, getting his hands on some basketballs, and then on offense, he was just playing with the pop we needed him to play with.”
While his numbers don’t necessarily pop out like a star player’s, the young guard has the potential to become one if allowed to play more consistently. Even the former NBA player Blake Griffin had major praise for the young guard on Prime’s postgame show.
“What he does for them on the offensive end, you saw how easily their offense flowed, especially down the stretch in the third and fourth quarter. You just have to know where he is at all times, and that’s something they’ve sort of been missing.”
“I’m a big proponent of playing Reed Sheppard in these stretches. It makes the game easier for them, and it also makes the game easier for KD and Sengun,” said Griffin after the game.
Sheppard’s shooting skills have put him in a tier above all the other players from his draft class. He is on the verge of cementing himself as the franchise point guard for the Rockets if he keeps playing like this.
There has been a rampant debate on the Rockets’ lack of depth in the point-guard role and whether they need to look externally for a replacement for Fred VanVleet.
Coming off a career-high in three-point makes against the Kings, Reed Sheppard has often made a case that they don’t need to look elsewhere, as the franchise has plenty of options with him and Amen Thompson both being competent to take up the point guard role.
Tonight, Amen Thompson started the game, but it was Sheppard who closed it out. I feel the Rockets should consider moving Thompson to the small forward role in the starting lineup and eventually moving Thompson to the point guard role when Sheppard is benched with Josh Okogie coming off the bench.
In my opinion, Sheppard is coming into his own identity on the team, and the Rockets’ coaching staff should trust him more to start games as well going forward.
