How Much Can Reed Sheppard Take From Fred VanVleet?

As the Houston Rockets begin their next era of competitive basketball, they hope to still develop the young players on the team into quality pieces of their roster. Most of their young players have grown into strong roles, as Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason have already developed as contributors to the team's contention chances.

The lone young player left on the roster to prove his worth is Reed Sheppard, the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Sheppard has shown potential during his opportunities in his rookie season. However, while he was too strong a player to be relegated to the G-League, he hadn't proved enough to become a consistent part of the rotation.

Sheppard seems committed to ensuring he is a crucial part of the lineup next season. He has recently been seen training with the team leader, Fred VanVleet, to try to improve his lead guard skills. Sheppard could benefit greatly from VanVleet's tutelage.

VanVleet has proven to be a quality point guard and team leader for the Rockets in this new era of competitiveness. While he doesn't put up explosive assist numbers, he has been the best on the team at organizing the offense. He is also the best at running the pick-and-roll with Sengun and other bigs on the roster.

Until another player can take over for VanVleet in organizing the offense, he will remain an integral part of the offense. With the addition of Kevin Durant and shooters like Dorian Finney-Smith, he will be relied upon to continue creating shots for his teammates.

The importance of Sheppard learning everything he can from VanVleet is a major storyline for next season.

Either Sheppard or Thompson will be expected to take more responsibility in the offense, helping create more for themselves and their teammates. Sheppard is more of a traditional point guard compared to Thompson, and Sheppard brings the additional value of his shooting.

Sheppard isn't quite at a place to contribute at a high level. Offensively, he is adept at creating for himself, but he has further to go before he can become a lead distributor for an NBA offense.

The biggest factor that kept Sheppard from getting minutes last season was his lack of defense. That's a skill VanVleet may be able to assist with as well. Both players are undersized guards who have to rely on intelligence, effort, and anticipation to play strong defense.

If Sheppard can figure out that part of his game, he'll be a consistent part of the game plan next season. He should continue to lean on VanVleet to improve and become a contributing player.