Houston Rockets Rookie Highlighted on NBA Offseason Survey

ESPN published its NBA Offseason Survey on Monday, revealing how executives, coaches and scouts view the league.

Jul 12, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) passes the ball / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, ESPN published its annual NBA Offseason Survey.

The survey allows executives, scouts and coaches to anonymously give their insight on the league and who the best players and teams are now and going forward.

In the survey, Houston Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard seemed to be viewed in high regard, getting the most votes in one category and the second-most votes in another.

First, Sheppard picked up five votes for "Who will be the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year?", with Memphis Grizzlies big man Zach Edey receiving eight votes. The two also have the best odds to win the Rookie of the Year award on FanDuel SportsBook.

Yet, while NBA executives, coaches and scouts may think that Edey will be more productive this season, Sheppard received eight votes for "Who will be the best player from the 2024-25 rookie class in five years?" with the second place finisher, Stephon Castle, getting with three votes.

"He's checked every box," one Eastern Conference scout told Tim Bontemps and ESPN.

Sheppard's recognition amongst NBA decision makers comes after an impressive season at Kentucky and a solid showing in the summer league.

In 33 games with the WIldcats, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds amd 2.5 steals per game. In addition to his solid outputs, the former 4-star prospect shot 53.6% from the floor and 52.1% from 3-point range.

Sheppard's offensive abilities carried over to his first professional experience as the rookie guard averaged 20 points, 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds in four games at the Las Vegas Summer League. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft also showed off his defensive prowess, averaging 2.8 steals per game in Las Vegas.

If Sheppard is able to play defense and shoot the ball as well as he did in college, it would not be surprising to see the talented guard develop into the best player in his draft class.

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