Is Next Season Make-or-Break for Reed Sheppard?

The former No. 3 overall pick faces pressure for his second season.

Feb 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) reacts after a play during the game against the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Former No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Reed Sheppard, had an underwhelming rookie season with the Houston Rockets. Sheppard was touted as an NBA-ready guard on both sides of the ball, capable of guarding ball-handlers at a high level while plugging in on offense in a scalable role.

He was far from that in 2024-2025 however, averaging 12.2 minutes, 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 35.1 percent from the field across 52 regular season games. Sheppard fluctuated between the backup point guard and third string, battling veteran combo guard Aaron Holiday for minutes down the stretch of the season.

Sheppard had been nearly completely fazed out of the rotation by the time the postseason came around, playing just 10 total minutes in the Rockets' seven game series against the Golden State Warriors.

Holiday and starting point guard Fred VanVleet had proven to be better options at the position, which made Sheppard's path to playing time unclear, given that both veterans were returning to the team for 2025-2026.

However, VanVleet's recently torn ACL throws a wrench in the depth chart, taking VanVleet out of the rotation for what could possibly be the entire season. This shifts many eyes to Sheppard, who's now thrusted into a potential starting role.

He'll see a major minute increase either way, and will be looked upon to provide consistent, positive minutes in VanVlee'ts absence.

Before the injury, a Sheppard breakout would have been a nice bonus to the team's success, but not a necessity, as he'd likely be in a backup role for the season. Now, his individual play is needed for the Rockets to compete in a tough Western Conference, as the Rockets are without a proven point guard.

Houston's championship aspirations put even more weight on the shoulders of Sheppard, as the team has poured assets into going all-in on a championship window. Bringing in new faces like Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie were all moves to boost playoff chances, and Sheppard's success will help.

If Sheppard doesn't perform to a high standard, the Rockets could look to move off the youngster in exchange for a proven veteran near the trade deadline. There's value in keeping Sheppard around with the hopes of developing him to his full potential, but Houston must keep the Larry O' Brien in its best interest.