The Rockets’ Rotation Adjustment that Could Define Series vs. Lakers

Houston will need to adjust on the fly, though there's one option that stands above the rest.

Mar 29, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Houston Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka yells against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Rockets’ impending postseason series is one of the more interesting, with the fourth-seeded Lakers taking on Houston undermanned. Many expect the Rockets to advance past the first round for the first time since 2020, but an up-and-down season as a whole does offer pause.

While the Lakers’ injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are more consequential and more recent, the Rockets have been playing undermanned all season long, with Fred VanVleet suffering an offseason ACL injury, and Steven Adams undergoing season-ending ankle surgery in January.

Those injuries cause holes that the Rockets have been trying to plug all season. They haven’t had the necessary handling, creation and play-making ability with VanVleet’s absence, and have dipped on the offensive glass following Stevens’ injury. 

The Rockets’ staff has attacked that in several different ways: playing guard Josh Okogie more, going big with Clint Capela, riding Tari Eason’s hot hand when needed and, perhaps most importantly, playing second-year guard Reed Sheppard.

There’s little question that there will be games in the Rockets and Lakers’ series that come down to the wire, and how they handle those situations could very well define the series. While it’s a volatile option, the team’s best path forward is likely to play Sheppard.

As a whole, the team’s former No. 3 pick has seen a drastically better season. He raised his points per game from 4.4 as a rookie to 13.5, boosting his rebounds and assists as well while doubling his steals per game. He shot drastically better from the field at 43%, and hit on 39% of his seven triples attempted per game.

REED SHEPPARD HITS HIS 8th THREE FROM DEEP 🎯

A NEW CAREER-HIGH IN 3PM! pic.twitter.com/bA9tYtnmPR

— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2026

Still, those stats haven’t necessarily carried over to crunch-time impact, or a starting role. Sheppard started in just 21 games on the season, most near the end of the campaign, and was hit-or-miss in terms of closing games. While his defensive instincts are stellar, his size at just 6-foot-2 allows for some hunt-ability in clutch time, which will only be exacerbated in the Playoffs.

Additionally, Sheppard isn’t a true lead guard capable of picking up where VanVleet left off. He can play-make at a fine rate, but doesn’t yet have the handling ability or play-making chops to simply create offense.

Even still, Sheppard is likely the Rockets’ best path forward. He’s a dangerous shooter alongside both Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, who can draw double teams with the best in the league. His defense may not yet be Playoffs-level, though a trial-by-fire series with LA could give him the necessary experience needed to officially become part of the core. 

Houston will have other options they can point to, few of which offer the ceiling that Sheppard-fueled lineups do.