Inside The Rockets

Rockets' Reed Sheppard Off to Smooth Start

Reed Sheppard is off to a good start for the Houston Rockets.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) shoots the ball as Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Nov 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) shoots the ball as Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets haven't seen much from No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard quite yet, but he has flashed some positivity and potential.

Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes gave a grade for each team's rookies through the first month of the season, and Sheppard and the Rockets received a "B."

"Sheppard is eighth on the Rockets in minutes per game and looks nowhere close to cracking the starting lineup," Hughes writes. That said, he's hitting 37.5 percent of his threes and had a stretch of four straight games with a steal from Nov. 10 to Nov. 15. His defensive activity even included a three-block game (in only 19 minutes) in a blowout win over the Bulls on Nov. 17. Even if the stats haven't popped, it still feels like Sheppard's underwhelming start owes mostly to overblown expectations and a lack of opportunity. He can't help it that the Rockets already have an entire rotation's worth of young players who need minutes. Patience will be key. Sheppard tore it up in Summer League and can still deliver on his pre-draft promise once he gets a shot at real playing time. This is no time to lose faith."

Sheppard's opportunity will come, but for the time being, he is going through the motions at his own speed, and given the Rockets' current setup, he has that luxury.

There is no rush for Sheppard to break out. He will get there eventually, it will just take some time.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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