The Houston Rockets suffered an enormous loss within the offseason when Fred VanVleet went down with a torn ACL. He was their lead ball handler final 12 months and was a relaxing presence for a younger staff.
Even with the addition of Kevin Durant and the emergence of Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun, the Rockets wanted to offset the lack of VanVleet someway. It is a staff that has championship expectations after a shocking 52-win season final 12 months.
As a substitute of panicking and making a commerce, Houston common supervisor Rafael Stone wager on inner progress. To date, the Rockets have reaped the advantages.
Reed Sheppard has been the answer to Houston’s downside
Sheppard has firmly entrenched himself within the Sixth Man of the Yr dialog. This comes after a tough rookie season that noticed him trip the bench many of the 12 months, and even within the occasions he did play, he regarded overwhelmed with NBA physicality.
Sheppard labored tirelessly in the course of the offseason on his sport, and it has proven. He’s averaging 13 factors per sport, three rebounds, three assists, and virtually two steals. He’s taking pictures almost 48 p.c from the sector and 44 p.c from three-point vary. He is additionally making 47 p.c of his catch-and-shoot appears.
When Sheppard is on the court docket, the Rockets are almost unstoppable. They’ve a +14.8 internet score with him on the ground and a 124.7 offensive score. His motion taking pictures opens up the ground a lot for his or her offense, and when he comes off screens, he has not been afraid to get downhill and create drive-and-kick alternatives that get the protection shifting.
The five-man unit of Sheppard-Thompson-Durant-Smith Jr.-Sengun has a +9.3 internet score and a 121.5 offensive score. This mixture offers Houston a novel mix of protection, playmaking, taking pictures, and simply total versatility. It’s the Rockets’ third-most used lineup this season (135 possessions).
Sheppard’s emergence makes Houston much more harmful
Not solely does Sheppard’s stellar play lower the stress on the Rockets to make a transfer by way of commerce, nevertheless it additionally offers them extra on-court versatility. Moreover, as their core will get dearer, having Sheppard underneath his rookie contract for the following three seasons offers them monetary flexibility.
Sheppard is simply scratching the floor of how good he will be. Small guards normally take extra time to regulate to the NBA sport, and he has adjusted after which some. As soon as VanVleet is again subsequent season, Houston may make their case as having one of many deeper guard items within the league.
