The past two games served as a major measuring stick for the Houston Rockets. And while they didn’t ace every test, there were plenty of positives to take away. The turnovers were ugly, the rebounding was mixed, but Kevin Durant leading a come-from-behind victory in Milwaukee was a thing of beauty.
Equally impressive was the emergence of Reed Sheppard, who played some of his basketball during the biggest two-game stretch of Houston’s young season.
The Rockets wrapped up a road trip in San Antonio and Milwaukee, where Sheppard shot a combined 60% from the floor (12-for-20) and an even better 62% from beyond the arc (8-for-13). He also notched a career-high four steals in the win over the Bucks.
These performances were the biggest step forward in the growth of the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Sheppard played just 654 total minutes as a rookie last year, which was nearly half the minutes of any other lottery pick, and has yet to make a start this season. He has still only played in 61 career games, at only 13 minutes per game, underscoring how early he still is in his development.
But the last two outings showed real progress, as Sheppard starts to get his legs under him. He appears to be playing with more comfort and confidence, even providing a spark off the bench to the Rockets.
Houston was trailing 19-16 in the first quarter of Friday’s game in San Antonio when Sheppard entered for the first time. He scored the next Houston bucket and ignited a 9-2 run to close out the quarter.
Sheppard was also on the floor when Houston erased an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes on Sunday to come back and stun Milwaukee, providing two late steals and a clutch block on the defensive end. Sheppard finished as Houston’s third leading scorer in each game, despite coming off the bench, which is exactly what Houston is hoping to get from the young guard. He was also plus-11 over the two contests, including plus-nine during the fourth quarter comeback alone. His performance was so impressive that it even drew praise from Durant, who posted about Sheppard on his Instagram account.
The second-year guard currently has a 3% steal percentage, while also shooting 48% from 3-point range. A combination so rare that only one player has ever sustained it for an entire season: Stephen Curry in 2016, when he posted a 3% steal rate alongside a 45% clip from deep.
While Sheppard has been making impactful plays on both ends of the floor, the most encouraging sign has been his improved decision-making. Over the past two games, he has tallied eight assists to just three turnovers, which has been a huge issue for Sheppard early in his career. However, this recent stretch might indicate that the game is finally beginning to slow down for him.
Patience is hard to come by in sports, but at just 21 years old, Sheppard still has plenty of room – and time – to grow. This past weekend offered glimpses of his true potential against two quality teams, and for the Rockets, that’s a very promising development.
