There was a lot of noise surrounding the Houston Rockets possibly trading the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, with rumblings of a star pursuit even getting buzz. However, there was also a lot of reporting involving the Rockets and Reed Sheppard. As it turned out, Houston got its man by rebuffing trade offers and simply taking Sheppard third overall on Wednesday night.
Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported after Wednesday's first round that the Rockets “fielded traded calls” from teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers (No. 7 pick) and Memphis Grizzlies (No. 9 pick), but once it was clear Sheppard would be available at No. 3, there was little interest in a deal.
After the selection was made, Sheppard said this moment was something he has been “dreaming of since I was a little kid… I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Sheppard now embarks on his NBA journey with a team holding big dreams of their own.
Reed Sheppard's fit with Rockets
The Rockets already have a number of high-profile young players as part of their young core, including Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr and Amen Thompson. We can toss Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore into the mix as well as key young pieces. With all this young talent, there has been talk of Houston looking to cash in some chips for a proven star after jumping from 22 wins to 41 wins.
While the Rockets could still do this, it doesn't seem as if Reed Sheppard will be involved in any such move. Sheppard will bring elite shooting and efficiency to Houston after his lone season at Kentucky shot him up draft boards. The Wildcats star averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting a scorching 53.6% from the field and 52.1% from 3-point range. We know how important 3-point shooting is in today's NBA, and the young guard brings it in droves.
Sheppard is undersized after measuring just under 6-foot-2 without shoes and about 182 pounds at the combine, so there will be questions about how he'll hold up defensively. He did crush the vertical leap, though, and his offense could wind up being so good it doesn't matter.
As he gets started on a Houston team looking to take a step forward to compete under Ime Udoka, Sheppard will likely be deployed as a microwave sixth-man type off the bench behind Green and Fred VanVleet in the backcourt. Teams can never have enough shooting, and the Rockets ranked just 23rd in 3-point percentage this past season. He should be able to play a bit of point guard as well if needed.
Houston's roster could still look much different as we move forward in the offseason, but even if there are some splashy moves to come, there's no reason to expect Sheppard not to get meaningful minutes right away.
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