Should Reed Sheppard's Opening Night Performance Be a Concern for the Rockets?

The Houston Rockets shouldn't hang their heads after losing their first game to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets gave everything they could against the defending champions on their home floor and managed to push them to double overtime, losing 125-124.

Houston looked a bit rusty on the offensive end, as Fred VanVleet's absence certainly showed. The Rockets would get hounded at half court, and while stars like Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant had big games, they still shot 28.2% from three.

In particular, Houston's bench didn't give them much juice. Reed Sheppard, who played the most minutes off the bench with 28, had the chance to give the Rockets plenty of offense, but he struggled.

The 21-year-old had just nine points and four assists on 3-for-11 shooting from the field, knocking down just two of seven three-pointers. He showed a lot of the weaknesses from his rookie year, failing to get comfortable.

Sheppard, although recording a block and a steal, was repeatedly targeted by the Thunder on the other side of the floor. Oklahoma City gave him some tough matchups, but he still couldn't keep up against virtually anyone.

The Rockets are counting on Reed Sheppard this season. Concerning first test — he got fried over and over when guarding drives last night. pic.twitter.com/fMexL4Nj2L
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) October 22, 2025

Yes, there were plenty of concerns. However, this performance should not worry Rockets fans. Keep in mind, Sheppard was mostly given garbage-time minutes last season. As a rookie, he wasn't the featured bench player in big game.

Last night was the first game where Houston counted on Sheppard, and by the way, it was against the best defense in the NBA. The second-year player was given major assignments against a team that went 68-14 last season. These struggles were somewhat expected.

Houston should not panic despite Sheppard's performance. The Rockets are thin at the guard spots, but even when they weren't playing their best, they contended with the defending champions and nearly won on the road in spite of lapses.

Many believe the Rockets should start to inquire about VanVleet and Sheppard replacements once they can trade more contracts on December 15. However, Houston's foundation has been developing young talent over the last few seasons. Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason are beneficiaries of a great coaching staff that knows how to build players.

Sheppard has the chance to be another product of the system, but it will take time. Don't overreact to opening night's performance. He will have more opportunities to prove himself as a two-way force for the Rockets.