Could Houston Rockets Guard Make Rookie History Off Bench?

Reed Sheppard could use his high efficiency to break a rookie record.

Jul 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) reacts after scoring against the Washington Wizards during the third quarter at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets struggled to shoot the ball from beyond the arc last season. It's one of the reasons they ended up falling short of making postseason play.

The addition of Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, should help add floor spacing to the Rockets' squad, however. He shot 52.1 percent from deep during his lone season of college basketball.

The Kentucky product could set the rookie record for most 3-pointers made by a first-year player, as Sports Illustrated's Andrew Stefaniak recently wrote. The record is currently held by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray, who converted from deep 206 times during his rookie season.

"For Sheppard to break this record, he would have to average a little over 2.5 threes per game this season. The issue for Sheppard is that it won't be easy to do this coming off the bench, but he is still more than capable of getting it done," Stefaniak wrote.

As Stefaniak alluded to, Sheppard will be coming off the bench for his first campaign in the NBA. Fred VanVleet is the team's current starter and it will remain that way until Sheppard eventually steps into that role.

Sure, coming off the bench is working against Sheppard, but the Kentucky product's boost in playmaking on both sides of the ball will make it hard for Ime Udoka to keep him off the floor. Sheppard can shoot, play with the ball in or not in his hands and can make big plays defensively.

Sheppard also primarily came off the bench during his time in Lexington, so it'll be nothing new for him. He'll be able to embrace the role, and, as long as he's getting his shots off, he'll have a chance to break the rookie 3-pointers made record.

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