IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Oct 23, 2026 11:00 AM
As the Rockets are laser-focused on their postseason success, Ime Udoka might lean more on Houston’s veteran offseason addictions. See how that can impact a young star on the rise, and why it all might be a part of the plan in H-Town.
The Houston Rockets started the 2026-2027 NBA season off with a bang, as they dominated the Dallas Mavericks in their home-opener on Wednesday night. They’re feeling good after back-to-back blowouts, but there still have been some areas of concern throughout their wins.
While it’s no surprise that the Rockets have improved their three-point shooting, I am a little disappointed that the best shooter on the team isn’t getting more consistent minutes. Unfortunately, it could be that way the whole season.
Houston drafted Reed Sheppard third-overall back in 2024, after originally getting that pick from the Brooklyn Nets. It was actually one of the draft picks that the Rockets got in exchange for their MVP and franchise icon, James Harden.
You’d think that would automatically mean the front office has high hopes for Sheppard and is giving him the room to excel, but that’s just not the case.
He barely saw the court at all in his rookie season, logging only 12.6 minutes per night though 52 games. That’s almost unheard of for someone drafted that high, but thankfully there was a shift in year two.
Sheppard doubled his minutes and finished just outside of the top-five in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Now in year three, I’m afraid we might see his minutes start to decline once again. Sadly, that might be out of his control.
He's already had his playing time cut slightly, going from 26.2 minutes to 19.8 in the preseason. Then he only played for 16 minutes in the season-opener, which is part of the reason we chose him as the loser from the Rockets’ 128-110 win on Wednesday.
His head coach, Ime Udoka, could simply prefer to rely on the older and more experienced players. Mainly Bogdan Bogdanović, who was Houston’s first offseason signing.
The return of Fred VanVleet and the addition of Marcus Smart will impact Sheppard’s minutes too, but his skillset is most comparable to Bogdanović. Just take a look at their stats side by side:
Reed Sheppard’s best season is right on par with Bogdanović for his entire career. While I do believe the youngster to be the better shooter already, and clearly having the time to improve, that might not matter in the end.
The Rockets are more of a win-now team with the veterans on their roster. They won’t be waiting around for a 22-year-old to grow when they have a 34-year-old who can fill the same role.
Not to mention, Reed Sheppard will be eligible for an extension next summer. Every fan of this team would love to see Reed Sheppard put in a role to be Sixth Man of the Year, but that could ultimately be a detriment to the front office.
It’s sad to say, but they wouldn’t mind holding him back for the time being, and waiting for him to truly blossom after he’s already signed to a team-friendly contract. That’s just the nature of the NBA.
More from RocketsRoundtable:
Comments
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy