Will Reed Sheppard be able to Pick up Where he Left Off for Rockets in Game 5?

Reed Sheppard has been one of the Houston Rockets' major storylines through the 2025-26 season. Drafted third overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, Sheppard essentially redshirted his rookie season, as he didn't get much opportunity to contribute on a Rockets team with postseason aspirations.

Which happens quite regularly. Coaches typically lean towards proven players with consistent traits. Rookies and/or unproven players have a higher ceiling but oftentimes struggle to consistently put it together.

Sheppard has had a golden opportunity to play significant minutes this season, logging 21 starts and averaging 26.2 minutes per night. He averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.9 rebounds, 43 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from deep (on seven attempts) and 80.2 percent from the foul line throughout the regular season.

The playoffs have told a different story. Which shouldn't be surprising. The pressure is an entirely different beast.

The stakes are significantly higher. And the crowds get even more intense. And the opposing team has a full round (usually lasting several weeks) to prepare and modify the gameplan, based on the results and/or in-game outcomes.

And this is Sheppard's first time experiencing the postseason. Sure, he technically was on the Rockets' roster last season when Houston faced off against the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of last year's playoffs, but he didn't exactly play.

He played just 3.3 minutes per game. That doesn't exactly count. Sheppard started the series struggling.

He didn’t look like the same player during the regular season. By a long shot.

In Game 1, Sheppard 17 points, albeit on 20 shots, going 6-of-20 from the field and 5-of-14 from deep. Sheppard let the team in shots and outside shots and had the most missed shots on the team.

In Game 2, Sheppard went scoreless, going 0-of-4 from the field and 0-of-3 from deep. Rockets coach Ime Udoka only played him 10 minutes. In Game 3, Sheppard had 17 points on 21 shots, going 6-of-21 from the field and 4-of-13 from deep. He also had five turnovers, including one of the biggest turnovers of the entire series, playing a part in the Rockets blowing a six point lead with 30 seconds left.

In Game 4, Sheppard turned it around tenfold, scoring 17 points on just 12 shots and going 4-of-7 from long distance. Sheppard also had three steals in the game, helping the Rockets stave off heartbreak and elimination.

Sheppard posted true shooting splits of 68.3 percent and fared 66.7 percent effective shooting. Which was great to see, because the Rockets will need that version throughout the rest of the series.

Well, in game 5, because the Rockets are in game by game mode. Each game from here on out is Game 7 for Houston. And Sheppard plays controlled and with confidence and is able to make his outside shots (and limit his turnovers), Houston’s chances of extending the series are significantly higher.

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