Rockets Believe Reed Sheppard Could Morph into Steve Nash Type of Player

That seems lofty.

May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) handles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter of game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Reed Sheppard entered the 2025-26 NBA season with expectations of a significant role for the Houston Rockets. The franchise had selected him third overall in the 2024 NBA Draft and lacked depth at the guard spot.

That guard deficit was amplified when the team traded Jalen Green at the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. And it was exacerbated when Fred VanVleet went down in the preseason. 

Sheppard suddenly found himself at the forefront of Houston’s guard room, with only Aaron Holiday alongside him, who is more of a scoring guard. In spite of that, the Rockets opted to utilize Amen Thompson as the team's point guard, especially at the onset of the season.

Sheppard was mostly relegated to an off-ball role, as Rockets coach Ime Udoka sought to use him in the same vein that the Golden State Warriors have used Stephen Curry for years.

Sheppard was also glued to the bench, with Udoka relying on Sheppard to provide the Rockets' scoring punch off the second unit. To that point, Udoka compared Sheppard to legendary Sixth Men Jamal Crawford, Manu Ginobili and Lou Williams -- all Hall of Fame esque players.

However, the Rockets also believe Sheppard could become a different vein of another Hall of Famer, in Steve Nash.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Ramona Shelburne explained. 

"Internally, there's a belief Sheppard has the potential to develop into an all-time great, such as former Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash, if given enough time and the right conditions."

This isn't the first time Sheppard has drawn that comparison. Earlier in the season, Sheppard was viewed as a mix of Nash and Mark Price, the four-time All-NBA guard.

Not everyone agrees with the comparisons between Sheppard and Nash, especially externally.

"Externally, there is less of a consensus on Sheppard.

"More like Steve Kerr," a rival scout quipped, when asked about the Nash projection, envisioning Sheppard as an undersized, reserve 2-guard instead of a pure point guard who could serve as an offensive engine.

VanVleet was supposed to buy Sheppard more time. But ultimately, the Rockets believe Sheppard has the right temperament to grow from the ups and downs of this season.

"He just flashes so much greatness you can't teach," a team source said. "From Steve Nash to Steph Curry, none of those little guards play great their first few years. We're still big believers in Reed."

Sheppard averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 43 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from three (on seven attempts) and 80.2 percent from the foul line, in what was essentially his first season of real NBA action.