Houston Rockets Should Give Reed Sheppard a Bigger Chance

The No. 3 overall pick is playing just a quarter per game, and that's hardly enough.

Nov 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) attempts to drive with the ball past Indiana Pacers forward Johnny Furphy (12) during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are deep. This is well-known. They're so deep, in fact, that a consolidation trade makes a world of sense.

Depth is also the usual answer to the question: "Why isn't Reed Sheppard playing more?" 

Only... are we entirely sure about that? 

We're seeing both the Warriors and Cavs experience a fair level of success by leaning into depth this year, and for all the perceived depth in Houston, they're still playing Fred VanVleet nearly 35 minutes per game, while giving Dillon Brooks over 30.

Are we sure there isn't something to give here, outside of the aforementioned trade option? 

Sheppard remains one of the most prized rookies from this year's draft class. He projects as a strong — if not elite — shooter in time, and his defensive metrics at Kentucky were surprisingly strong.

Furthermore, it's not like Houston doesn’t have a need for what he offers. They're playing strong basketball at 11-5, yes, but they're No. 25 in made three-pointers and No. 28 in efficiency.

That kinda seems like that'd be a job for a guy who hit over 50% from long range last season, wouldn't it? They're winning now, but will that continue if they don't make the adjustments that Sheppard can help them with?

It doesn't help their situation, that their three biggest minutes-takers — VanVleet, Jalen Green, and Brooks — are all hitting 40% or under from the field, not exactly sporting efficiency that can be sustainable justified. 

The Rockets are also winning games due to, in part, a wicked bench defense of Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, so it's fair to make the argument they could be winning even more if Sheppard were to see more than 12 minutes per game.

"But Mort, Sheppard himself is barely cracking 40%!"

That's true, but a big part of that is the low amount of playing time. Can the Rockets, in earnest, expect the rookie to become effective when give few spurts here and there? 

Instead of focusing on the aspect of the trade market, at least give VanVleet some more bench time, raising Sheppard's on-court opportunities, to see if there's something there. 

He's too important to be an afterthought, success or not. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.