Rockets Shut Down Reed Sheppard for Rest of NBA Summer League

Sheppard was having a rough Summer League on the offensive end. He was averaging 23.0 points and 2.5 assists on 36.4% shooting from the field, as well as 4.5 turnovers per game. The expectation for the upcoming season is that he will step into a bigger role to help fix Houston's three-point struggles.

On the other end of the floor, the 21-year-old was a defensive monster, averaging 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks. The 6-foot-2 guard was active in all areas of the court, forcing turnovers and preventing shots despite the Rockets not having pulled out a win yet.

The dominance was expected, as last summer, Sheppard averaged 20.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks across four games. While he was more efficient in the scoring department last year, Sheppard's aggressiveness on the offensive end should be a bright sign for the Rockets.

Houston will now continue Summer League without the best player on the roster. There was some sort of expectation that he would be pulled if he displayed enough prowess, and that he did. His final averages look good enough to where the Rockets don't need him out on the floor anymore.

The focus now turns to the regular season for the Kentucky product. After a rookie season that saw extremely limited minutes, Sheppard should be in the biggest offensive role alongside newly acquired star Kevin Durant and the rest of the core.

Houston has high hopes for the second-year player, as he was perceived to be untouchable during trade talks with the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Off the bench, Sheppard is expected to make a big impact.