Should Shepard transform? A famous reporter gave the Rockets advice: the 29-year-old point guard can be reused! Davidson also has a chance

Against the Thunder, as the Rockets' backup point guard, Sheppard, a 21-year-old player, did get a lot of playing time. In the entire game, Udoka unexpectedly gave Shepard as much as 28 minutes of playing time. On the one hand, Shepard is the Rockets' key training target; on the other hand, Amen Thompson was injured in the fourth quarter due to calf cramps, which also gave Shepard more opportunities.

However, it can only be said that Sheppard's performance was unsatisfactory. He played a lot of 28 minutes and was basically half the main force. However, he made 3 of 11 shots from the field and 2 of 7 three-pointers. His shooting rate was not high. Shepard even made 1 of 2 free throws. Sheppard is originally an excellent shooter, but he missed one free throw. If he could make two free throws, the Rockets would not need to play overtime in this game and would have passed the test long ago.

In the whole game, Sheppard scored 9 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and only made 2 turnovers. For a point guard who holds the ball for a long time, two turnovers in 28 minutes are actually not many. However, Shepard did not connect the Rockets' offense. When he came on the court, he just took the ball to break through, but the effect was not good, and he did not pose much of a threat to the Thunder.

In terms of passing, he couldn't even hand the ball to the two core players Durant or Shen Jing. Although the data seems to be quite satisfactory, in fact Shepard is far behind VanVleet in terms of field control, and on the defensive end, Shepard has been targeted by the opponent. Alexander and other Thunder outside players point to Shepard to break through, and Shepard has poor defensive ability, poor positioning awareness, and his confrontation ability is also very weak, so it is easy for the opponent to break through his defense.

Some experts believe that the Rockets should try a new point guard, not necessarily Shepard. After all, Amen Thompson is suffering from calf cramps. It is unrealistic to just expect Amen Thompson to sort out the offense on the court. Moreover, Amen Thompson's passing ability and field control ability are not too strong. Mark Spears, a famous NBA reporter, commented: "The Rockets really need a point guard now, and Shepard's performance at the last moment was not good."

Because in Spears' view, Shepard is just a shooter, not a point guard. Maybe the Rockets really should try 29-year-old veteran Aaron Holiday. But in short, the Rockets need a point guard. What is very regrettable about this game is that Holiday did not get even a second of playing time, and Shepard occupied most of the time in the No. 1 position. But in the opinion of this famous reporter, Shepard should transform. After all, he is not a point guard, just an off-ball shooter.

Davidson, another 23-year-old edge point guard, did not get playing time in this game like in the preseason. It can only be said that even if Davidson's personal ability is not inferior to Shepard, the two of them seem to have better defense and stronger confrontation capabilities. However, Udoka still trusted Sheppard too much and did not give Holiday or Davidson a chance.

Seeing Sheppard's poor performance in this game, I wonder if Udoka will use Holiday or their fourth point guard Davison in the next game against the Detroit Pistons.

However, the Rockets do not need to lose confidence in Shepard. On the one hand, the Thunder's backcourt is too strong. Whether it is Shepard or any defender, it is difficult to guard him against Alexander; and Shepard needs more games to run in and grow. The Rockets cannot abandon Shepard just because he does not play well in one game. However, in addition to Sheppard, the two guards Davidson and Holiday should really be given some opportunities.