Rockets’ Reed Sheppard Reportedly Slated for ‘Expanded Role’

At the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, the Houston Rockets were one of the big winners, jumping up to No. 3 with less-than-ideal odds. And on draft night they seemed the same, nabbing Kentucky's Reed Sheppard with the pick, a player many thought would be a plug-and-play impact guard.

Sheppard’s rookie season, though, didn’t go as planned.

Houston’s done a great job of assimilating top draftees into the rotation pretty quickly, helping players like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and more hit the ground running. But that wasn’t especially the case for Sheppard given the Rockets’ success.

Across 52 games as a frosh, he scored just 4.4 points on 35% shooting, failing to find a rhythm. He grabbed 1.5 rebounds and dished 1.4 assists per game, playing in just over 12 minutes per game.

The good news is that while Sheppard wasn’t a focal point as a rookie, it seems he will be moving forward, per The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.

“As the coaching staff ponders changes and improvements for next season, the role of guard Reed Sheppard has come to the forefront,” Iko wrote. “Last season’s No. 3 pick in the draft, is slated for a vastly expanded role, team sources said, citing Sheppard’s floor spacing and IQ as much-needed qualities for a Rockets team that struggled in the halfcourt.”

There’s likely few things that get Rockets fans more excited for Sheppard’s future than the words “vastly expanded role.” A talented handler, defensive play-maker, passer and most importantly shooter, his surge up the team’s depth chart is much-needed.

If Sheppard can find a semblance of his collegiate production — which made him an advanced analytics darling — the Rockets would undoubtedly get better without even having to make a flashy offseason trade.

“Sheppard is regarded within team circles as having an extremely high ceiling,” Ike wrote. “Which the coaching staff wants to tap into as soon as possible.”

The NBA Finals will kick off this week, followed by the first milestone in the NBA offseason with the draft, where Houston has a No. 10 pick.