The Houston Rockets have received a small setback as Kevin Durant will be away from the team for the next two games due to a family matter, as confirmed by ESPN’s NBA Insider Shams Charania earlier today.
Their next two games were coincidentally against his former teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. The Rockets face the Suns on Monday, November 24, and the Warriors on Wednesday, November 26.
Therefore, the potential starting lineup in Durant’s absence would be:
PG: Reed Sheppard
SG: Amen Thompson
SF: Jabari Smith Jr.
PF: Alperen Sengun
C: Steven Adams
Following this news, while fans were concerned about Durant, the most common question related to the franchise was who would replace Durant in the starting lineup.
Upon a basic understanding of the rotation minutes and player forms recently, the most likely candidate to replace Durant for the time being would be Reed Sheppard. The Rockets have often gone with the double-big lineup as well over the past 14 games.
The young guard from Kentucky, Sheppard, dropped a career high against the Nuggets with his 27 points, four assists, and two steals while playing 37 minutes in the NBA Cup.
He is currently averaging 13.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.4 rebounds, while shooting 50.7% from the field and playing less than 24 minutes per night. His quick hands have also helped him average 1.6 steals per game.
Other Potential Changes To Rockets’ Starting Lineup
With Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. as the primary fixed starters, the only other contemplation comes in Steven Adams’ role.
Considering how much head coach Ime Udoka values defense, he might start Josh Okogie over Steven Adams as well, with Sengun moving to the center role and Okogie playing as a forward with Smith Jr.
With no Kevin Durant, Tari Eason, Dorian Finney-Smith, or Fred VanVleet available, this lineup would look to create some floor spacing through Sheppard and Smith Jr, while the remaining trio crashes the boards for the rebounds.
Sheppard is shooting 48.8% from the three-point line, while Smith Jr is shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. Alperen Sengun is also shooting an impressive 43.6% from beyond the three-point line, but he is a low-volume shooter, averaging less than three three-point shots per game.
And with Smith Jr. also capable of using his nearly seven-foot wingspan to get rebounds, Sheppard should act as the primary shooter who remains on the perimeter, ready for the kickout pass on the rebounds to generate the easier looks in the game. Thus, it seems that now is the right time to promote Reed Sheppard to the starter role.
As for Durant, we hope he bounces back from whatever he needs the personal time for. It’s time for the young core to show the veteran superstar that he can take his time while the team has his back by succeeding on the court even in his absence.
