Rockets’ Reed Sheppard Scores Near-50 in G League Debut

Houston rookie Reed Shepard saw a white-hot G League debut.

Nov 23, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) reacts to making a three point basket against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

On Monday, Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard was officially assigned to the team’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. On Tuesday, he went to work and put together one of the best professional performances of his young career.

Across 37 minutes versus the Oklahoma City Blue, Sheppard posted a whopping 49 points on 17-for-33 shooting, taking 19 3-pointers and hitting on eight of those. Additionally, he added six assists, five rebounds and three steals.

The performance was jaw-dropping, especially in juxtaposition of his NBA play so far, which has yielded just 3.3 points on 32% shooting overall. It was a clear sign Sheppard is above the G League level, but can still use his time there to hone his skills as a guard.

The Rockets haven’t been shy about sending their high-level prospects to get work in the G League in recent years — even sending forward Cam Whitmore there just weeks ago. And it seems the move is already paying off in helping Sheppard get some confidence back.

Drafted at No. 3 overall, Sheppard can fill the stat sheet in a variety of areas, but has struggled in his lesser role so far for the Rockets. With the Vipers, he was able to garner more on-ball reps, which is much-needed for his development overall.

In time, he’ll return to Houston, hopefully with even more confidence and experience than before.

While Sheppard battled the Blue, the Rockets posted a 23-point win over the Washington Wizards behind performances from Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore.

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