Reed Sheppard's Recent Production Should Cement Starting Role for Rockets

The talk of Reed Sheppard as a Sixth Man of the Year award candidate is warranted, but in reality, he should be a full-time starter for the Rockets. Through their absence of a true point guard, the second-year pro has flourished with every opportunity Houston has thrown his way.

Saturday's clutch 123-122 win of the Miami Heat saw Sheppard put up an incredible 23 points, 14 assists and four steals. He started for the 12th time this season, and had perhaps the best overall performance of his career.

This wasn't close to Sheppard's career high in points (31 on Nov. 26 vs. GSW), but his playmaking and defensive abilities were on full display. He had zero turnovers in the process, able to attack Miami and draw players to collapse. From there, it was either an open shot within the arc or a kick-out to the perimeter.

The Rockets are 10-2 this season when Sheppard starts. Across those 12 games, he's averaging 16.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks on 43-38-86 shooting splits. The efficiency and production are both there.

Two questions remain after Saturday: why didn't Ime Udoka implement this starting lineup sooner, and will it last for the rest of the season, into the playoffs? Houston replaced Tari Eason with Sheppard. Eason is going through a major shooting slump, and while his defensive efforts are valued, Houston needs to give Kevin Durant more help on the scoring end.

Fred VanVleet's ACL injury has kept the Rockets without a floor general who can set up players in their sweet spots. Oftentimes, Durant, Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün initiate sets, but they're taken away from the perimeter and paint. Defenses have keyed in on this, forcing plenty of turnovers with ball pressure and double teams.

Reed Sheppard as a starter in his career:

- 17.1 PPG
- 3.8 RPG
- 5.5 APG
- 2.3 SPG
- 1.0 BPG
- 41.1 3P% (8.3 3PA)
- 58.6 TS%

Rockets are 10-2 this season when Reed starts.

He shouldn’t be in the 6MOY convo because he should be a full time starter. pic.twitter.com/Jc6ajU7Iw0 https://t.co/6MCFuqI1dX
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) March 22, 2026

But Sheppard should be a breath of fresh air should Udoka make him a full-time starter. With 12 games left in the regular season, Houston is fighting for home-court advantage in the playoffs. Every game counts, and the biggest need for this team is shot-making. Sheppard provides just that.

The Rockets will embark on a four-game road trip before playing six of their final eight games at home. Three of those are against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, two teams that are fighting with Houston for a high seed in the Western Conference. This is a perfect opportunity for Sheppard to cement himself as one of the Rockets' top contributors.