Rockets’ Reed Sheppard issued challenge from GM entering Year 2

The Houston Rockets are going to be one of the teams to watch for next season. The trade for Kevin Durant could potentially put them over the top as the best team in the Western Conference next season.

Rockets’ general manager Rafael Stone recently spoke to the media about Durant.

“Kevin impacts the game on both ends of the court and is one of the most efficient scorers in the history of basketball,” said Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone. “We liked the growth our team showed last season and believe Kevin’s skill set will integrate seamlessly.”

The Rockets are very deep, despite containing one of the best of all time. Alperen Sengun is a rising star in the NBA and is already considered one of the best big men in the league. Amen Thompson is also a rising star and has proved his value on the defensive end time and time again for Houston last year. Not to mention, former NBA champ Fred VanVleet is running the show at point guard.

Another guard on the roster, Reed Sheppard, is expected to continue to grow as well. Stone shared a quick challenge during that interview with the media on Sheppard.

“Reed (Sheppard) is just going to have to be real good for us, period.”

Sheppard is entering Year 2. The Kentucky product averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in his rookie season. He appeared in 52 games and started three, but has a very small sample size, averaging only 12.6 minutes per contest.

Stone believes Sheppard will step up and be a major contributor for the Rockets. Sheppard had his moment late in the season against the Los Angeles Clippers when he scored 20 points on 6-10 shooting from three-point range. He followed it up with 14 points against the Los Angeles Lakers the following game and was 4-8 from deep. It was only two games, but scoring 34 points against two playoff teams is a good sign moving forward.