Houston Rockets Will Need Shooting Boost from Reed Sheppard

The Houston Rockets are officially contenders.

The team’s offseason moves have been more than noticed, helping them land an opening night bout against the Oklahoma City Thunder for their ring night. 

Some of that has to do with the addition of Kevin Durant, who hasn’t shied away from OKC criticism since his departure there. But several experts around the league have Houston pegged as contenders due to a variety of factors: a massive young core, savvy veterans and Durant putting the bow on everything.

Still, the Rockets aren’t infallible, and they’ll need a certain member of their young core to step up next season.

The Rockets needed lottery luck to grab Reed Sheppard, but got just that in jumping up six spots to land the Kentucky guard. He was thought of to be one of the best players in the 2024 draft class, offering stellar feel for the game and a player who could moonlight at both guard positions.

Even so, it was hard for Sheppard to break into the Rockets’ rotation, which really ramped things up in finishing as the West’s second-best regular season team. He averaged just 4.4 points on 35% shooting as a frosh, seeing less than 13 minutes per game. His 3-point percentage — one of his top draws in the pre-draft process — finished at 34%.

Despite a disappointing first season, Sheppard remains an important part of the young core. The organization is reportedly prioritizing him moving forward, and is scheduled to give him even more opportunity in Year 2. He may not yet be ready for legitimate backup point guard minutes — handling and play-making in Fred VanVleet’s absence. But in the very least, Sheppard will need to shoot the ball well to make an impact. 

There’s virtually no doubt Sheppard can be a good NBA 3-point shooter, but it hasn’t fallen that way so far. His numbers have been pedestrian, despite being blistering in both college and the G League. He shot a whopping 52% on 4.4 attempts in his season at Kentucky, as well as 41% on a wild 12.3 attempts in three G League games with Rio Grande Valley.

Now, he only needs to parlay that success to his NBA minutes.

Houston will be receiving a large 3-point shooting boost with Durant — most simply, one of the best scorers of all time, especially on the perimeter. But Sheppard’s shooting could be a much-needed skill that would galvanize other lineups.

If he can't shoot the ball well from beyond the arc in Year 2, he could have another long season ahead.