Reed Sheppard Struggles in Rockets’ Blowout Summer League Loss

The Rockets are again amid a Summer League campaign, rolling out up-and-coming young prospects while biding their time until the 2025-26 season.

There’s plenty of buzz surrounding Houston with the way their offseason has gone — mostly coming from the Kevin Durant acquisition — but the team’s Summer League squad is still important to their future.

One of highest-profile players not just on the Rockets’ roster, but in Summer League in general, is guard Reed Sheppard.

Drafted at No. 3 in the 2024 NBA Draft, Sheppard didn’t see a blistering initial season in the NBA. But seems to be a focal point of the Rockets moving forward, with the team reportedly set to offer up more minutes and opportunities to him next season.

Sheppard is no stranger to Summer League success, thriving in his initial slate last year, and even going nuclear just a few nights ago for the Rockets. In a three-point loss to the Clippers, he added 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks, putting together a total, two-way performance.

Sunday’s bout against the Pistons, however, certainly wasn’t his best game. Sheppard scored just 18 points on 19 shots, hitting on only one of his seven attempted triples. While he still managed four steals in putting together a strong defensive display, his six turnovers certainly didn’t help his case at a positive day.

There’s no real reason to worry about Sheppard just yet. He’ll have the rest of the offseason to assimilate himself into the Rockets’ main core. And the highly-physical Summer League doesn’t necessarily lend itself to his more cerebral style.

Additionally, Sheppard has carried most of the offensive load for the Rockets so far in Summer League, functioning as the top offensive option, be it scoring himself or facilitating. While he’ll be asked to do that seldomly for the main squad, a much more simplified, off-ball role could suit him better in the near-term.

It remains to be seen whether Sheppard's Summer League stint is done, but more work certainly wouldn't be a bad thing for the upcoming second-year.