Rockets top pick explodes in summer debut

Sheppard was the No. 3 pick in June’s draft out of Kentucky, where he was a phenomenal shooter (52% on threes). He showed off that range in his summer debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, making four of his six three-pointers on his way to 23 points.

But Sheppard also showed he’s not just a sharpshooter, like when he put Lakers first-round pick Dalton Knecht in a blender on a third-quarter drive.

He also displayed surprising defensive skills, delivering three blocks. One of them was on 7-foot-2 center Moses Brown.

It was an all-around impressive performance from the 20-year-old. It might have been good enough that the Rockets decide they’d seen enough, keeping him out of Summer League for fear he’d get injured.

Las Vegas may have seen the last of Sheppard this July. Houston, meanwhile, is going to be seeing a lot of him.