Don't Forget About Rockets Rookie Reed Sheppard

Houston Rockets rookie shooting guard Reed Sheppard didn't play as much as he probably would have liked in his first season in the league.

The No. 3 overall pick out of Kentucky likely would have been a starter or at least a key reserve in most of the teams in the league this season, but getting drafted by the Rockets, a 41-41 team a year ago with a title window beginning to open isn't the best way to get on the court.

Despite Houston choosing not to play Sheppard often, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone reiterated his belief in the former Wildcats star.

"I think Reed's just a really, really talented player," Stone said via ESPN insider Tim MacMahon. "Very few people shoot as well as him. Very few people pass as well as him, and more even than pass, see the offense so clearly and so easily. That's not really a skill that is taught, not at the level he can do it. We think that he has a chance to be really special."

Sheppard will likely see an expanded role should he be with the Rockets next season, and based on how Stone is speaking, he appears to be part of Houston's plans. He has the trajectory to be exactly what the Rockets need in a reserve guard.

The Rockets will likely have trade discussions surrounding him with other teams given his quality as an asset, but Houston isn't going to move on from him unless there is an offer that blows them out of the water.