On Monday, the Houston Rockets got a devastating injury update when it was revealed that starting point guard Fred VanVleet had suffered a torn ACL that could keep him out of the entire upcoming 2025-26 season. The news, first reported by NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, immediately hangs a cloud over what had been the most highly anticipated Rockets season in at least half a decade after the offseason addition of Kevin Durant.
With VanVleet now on the sidelines, a lot of the attention will inevitably turn to rising second-year guard Reed Sheppard, the former number three overall pick out of Kentucky. Sheppard didn't get a lot of playing time in his rookie season under head coach Ime Udoka, who prioritized defense above all else in his lineup configurations, an area in which Sheppard is not exactly a specialist.
However, with the Rockets now effectively without a point guard, Udoka will likely have no choice but to play Sheppard extended rotational minutes this season, even if he still may have some reservations about his ability to defend.
How much can Reed Sheppard contribute?
Two things that Reed Sheppard should be able to contribute immediately for the Rockets are perimeter shotmaking and the ability to run the offense smoothly. Sheppard flashed both of these capabilities in his time both in the Summer League as well as in limited playing time with the Rockets this year.
While there will be growing pains along the way, Sheppard has a team with some strong veteran talent, headlined by Durant, to help show him the ropes, and he also has plenty of defensive prowess around him to help cover for him on that end of the floor.
With VanVleet out for the year, the Rockets may have to lean more heavily on Durant to initiate offense than they had hoped, as opposed to simply relying on him as a halfcourt scoring weapon, the role in which he has thrived the most throughout his career.
However, if Sheppard comes out and shows an ability to orchestrate an effective offense while holding his own on defense, the Rockets' plans for 2025-26 may not have to be too heavily altered.
Still, the VanVleet news is certainly a major bummer for a team that has done all the right things in their rebuild and finally pushed their chips to the center of the table this summer.
