The NBA Summer League offers glimpses into a rookie's potential to contribute to a team, and sometimes these glimpses are enough to sell people on a player's massive upside, particularly for first-round draft picks. Having said that, one high-ranking Eastern Conference executive heaped praises on the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Reed Sheppard.
Watching the Houston Rockets' top rookie in Las Vegas, the exec boldly predicted that, if all goes well, Sheppard should be an All-Star down the line. If this prediction pans out, the Rockets will have secured a key piece for their rebuild, setting them up for future success.
Reed Sheppard's potential
“Sheppard is going to help Houston right away, and I think he has a chance to be an All-Star down the road,” the high-ranking executive said.
This prediction came at the heels of Sheppard's stellar performance at Summer League. In his four games at Vegas, Sheppard averaged 20.0 points and 5.3 assists, looking comfortable with the ball in his hands as the team's full-time point guard.
Sheppard had split point-guard duties during his college career as a four-star recruit at Kentucky. Likewise, a poll among ESPN analysts has put Sheppard as the best of this year's rookie class. If his play translates to the NBA, the Rockets will have another option at the point guard position, complementing starter Fred Van Vleet and giving coach Ime Udoka another weapon in his system.
Additionally, the exec's opinion reflects the buzz surrounding Sheppard's entry into the league. Analysts and observers have also predicted that the Rockets rookie could become the next Kentucky Wildcat to reach his full potential upon entering the NBA. The same ESPN poll put Sheppard as the leading contender for Rookie of the Year, though this result would depend on him getting enough minutes to showcase his ability in an NBA setting.
Rockets' bright future
Three seasons into their rebuild, the Rockets are poised to take the next step by hiring new head coach Ime Udoka and bringing in veterans like Van Vleet and Dillon Brooks. Last March, the team surged from the bottom half of the competitive Western Conference to contention for the NBA Play-In Tournament. However, the team went on a five-game losing streak that eliminated them from the tournament, and they ended up posting a record of 41-41, their first non-losing record in four years.
A new season with new contributors and consistency from their stars, such as Alperen Sengun, should give the revamping Rockets squad a better chance of postseason success.
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