American News: Shepard is expected to bring an explosive season to the Rockets, and he is highly consistent with the team s needs

According to an article written by NBA reporter David Yapkowitz, after Van Vreet was injured, the Rockets' point guard position was vacant, and Rockets sophomore guard Reed Shepard was the favorite to fill this vacancy and usher in an explosive season.

Reed Shepard is expected to bring an explosive season to the Rockets. Shepard is not taken for granted to get the starting point guard position. He needs to strive for it with his strength in training camp and preseason. But judging from the Rockets' current lineup, he is undoubtedly the best candidate for the point guard position.

As the 2024 NBA Draft Show (selected by the Rockets with the third pick in the first round), Shepard decided to participate in the draft after spending a solid freshman season at the University of Kentucky. Despite being a lottery show, the Rockets were in the stage of transitioning to a serious playoff team in the Western Conference at the time, and the rookie defender had very limited playing time. During this period, Shepard was briefly transferred to a team affiliated to the Rockets Development League, and his performance far exceeded the Development League level.

Back to the Rockets lineup, Shepard played 52 games last season (three of them started), averaging about 12 minutes of playing time, and averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, shooting percentage of 35.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 33.8%, and free throw shooting percentage of 81.3%.

Shepard's abilities are highly consistent with the Rockets' needs

Shepard has the ability to be a double-guard and has always been an excellent offensive organizer. The Rockets already have scorers such as Durant in the team, and the team has sufficient guarantee on the scoring end. What they really need is a player who can drive the transfer of ball rights and assume organizational responsibilities, and Shepard is fully qualified for this role. Additionally, the Rockets don't even need him to be the absolute ball-holding core due to their partnering with Durant and Thompson.

It should be emphasized again that Shepard's chances are not at your fingertips, and he must prove in training camp that he deserves the starting position of the point guard position. Given that Thompson himself has the ability to organize and hold the ball, the Rockets may consider adopting a "big guy lineup", and Thompson may also become a potential burst player. But if Shepard can meet the competition in training camp with a competitive performance, he is very likely to bring explosive performances to the Rockets this season.