Houston Rockets’ Reed Sheppard’s Summer League Award Proves First-Year Player’s Potential

Typically, when NBA teams are looking to address a certain need, they do so through a trade or free agency, ensuring they can secure a ready-made talent that can fill that void.

The Houston Rockets may have taken a wrong turn, but it paid off. They had two big holes in their roster last season: They were below-average in three-point shooting and their assist-to-turnover ratio was not great.

Reed Sheppard was selected with the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He was extremely efficient while playing college basketball. He averaged 12.5 points per game while shooting 54% from the field, making 52% of his 3-pointers.

Sheppard was extremely productive, despite only starting five games while at Kentucky. He also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in 33 games with the Wildcats.

Betting on a Kentucky guard during the John Calipari era makes perfect sense. The legendary head coach, now at the helm of the Arkansas Razorbacks, sent many productive guards to the NBA during his time in Lexington.

Although Sheppard only made 28 percent of his three-pointers during the Las Vegas Summer League, he still averaged 20 points per game on 50 percent shooting. His shot creation was better than expected and his production was incredible. He added 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game in Las Vegas.

The incredible production during the games played in Las Vegas earned Sheppard a first-team All-Summer League selection, which was more than deserved.

The stats are a four-game sample size, so it’s hard to interpret them one way or the other, but it appears that Sheppard has true star potential and is a playmaker on both sides of the ball. His scoring ability has been put to good use, as has his ability to rotate opposing teams on defense.

The move will come at a better time for Sheppard during the regular season, and he will provide the Rockets with a much-needed boost as a backup next season.

READ MORE: ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins names Rockets’ Reed Sheppard one of Summer League’s best players

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