Rockets' Fred VanVleet has Been Coaching Reed Sheppard Throughout the Season

Over the last two seasons, the Houston Rockets have made it a point to load up on size, as they've sought to go all-in on the bully ball strategy. The Rockets have acquired a good amount of depth at the center position, with the gameplan of playing bully ball, or mob ball, as it's been phrased.

And the defensive-minded Ime Udoka has consistently set his sights on adding 3-and-D wings. And in the case of Amen Thompson, do-it-all wings.

The team has been very thin at the guard position, however, as a result. In past years, Fred VanVleet has masked the issue, ranking sixth in minutes in his first season with the Rockets and playing 35 minutes per night last season, despite his diminutive frame.

Okay, maybe diminutive is an over-exaggeration, but by NBA standards, VanVleet is certainly not a giant, in height. Entering the season, the team eyed plans of a bigger role for Reed Sheppard, who they invested a top-three draft pick on.

As a rookie, Sheppard didn't get the opportunity to contribute much, in spite of his draft position. Not unsurprisingly, as rookies don't often get significant playing time, especially on teams with championship aspirations, or even hoping to make a postseason run.

Coaches like turning to the sure thing, as opposing to unproven players with higher upside, in many cases (in most cases, in all actuality). The team knew they needed to give Sheppard more of a meaningful role, considering their lack of depth at guard.

And when Fred VanVleet went down, it changed things drastically, for the Rockets. For starters, it put a major dent in Houston's chances of making a legitimate title push.

But it also guaranteed meaningful playing time for Sheppard, who is the closest on the roster to VanVleet, from a skillset standpoint. And that's been the case this season, with Sheppard being Houston's most reliable guard.

However, VanVleet has also been helping him, while sidelined, operating as a player-coach, in many ways, as explained by Sheppard to Rockets sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network, as Richardson explained during the broadcast.

"After shoot around today, Reed told me Fred was a great leader and this year he's really been a coach for me, Reed said.

He said, 'He's really been able to show me a lot of different things on a daily basis.'

Today, Reed tells me they worked on getting into different shots, getting your legs under you, different ways to shoot left-right, right-left. They also worked on keeping the dribble alive and not picking up the dribble in situations where nobody is open.

So pulling it back and getting into another action. He said Fred has been a huge help."

Sheppard has averaged 13.4 points, 3.4 assists, 42.5 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from deep, 80.7 percent from the foul line, 54 percent effective shooting and 55.6 percent true shooting this season, while logging 16 starts. The Rockets have gone 12-4 during those games.