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As momentum started to steer away from the Houston Rockets earlier this month against the Memphis Grizzlies, Alperen Sengun tossed a pass into Reed Sheppard’s shooting pocket. Sheppard stepped into a 3-point look he made countless times over the summer.
He passed it up.
Instead, the second-year guard took two dribbles toward the basket and stopped at the free-throw line. He had another wide-open look that he’s drained more times than he can count over the years.
He passed it up again.
As the defense swarmed him, Sheppard threw a pass to the corner to watch Amen Thompson drive into the lane and miss a layup. The Grizzlies gathered the rebound, raced down the court and connected on a highlight alley-oop. Rockets coach Ime Udoka stormed onto the court and called a timeout before the ball even hit the ground.
As Sheppard slowly made his way to the bench, he looked over at his coach and said the words before they could even leave Udoka’s mouth:
“Shoot the ball.”
Those are three words Sheppard’s teammates and coaches have been repeating to him over and over for the past two years.
When Sheppard is open, the Rockets don’t want him to hesitate. They don’t want him to question himself. They want him to do what he does best: make shots.
“Basketball is a lot easier when you don’t think,” Sheppard said after Houston’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 7. “It’s natural when you go out there and just play loose.”
Those moments of indecision against Memphis were a meaningful experience for Sheppard. Each of them will be more important than the one before as the second-year guard works to solidify himself as a vital piece on a Rockets team with serious title aspirations.
Experience is an invaluable resource for teams like Houston once the playoffs roll around. When adversity hits, the teams that are usually the most comfortable are the ones that have been there before.
Although most of his teammates have those memories to look back on, including last season’s emotional first-round exit after a physical seven-game series against the Golden State Warriors, Sheppard doesn’t have that luxury.
After being the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Sheppard was mostly an afterthought in the rotation for a 52-win Rockets team. He played more than 20 minutes five times the entire season, and he was limited to a total of 10 minutes on the court during his team’s first-round series.
Houston wanted to bring him along slowly, with Fred VanVleet serving as his mentor. However, with VanVleet missing the entire year with an ACL tear and expectations higher for this franchise than they’ve been in nearly a decade, Sheppard has learn all the lessons he can before the lights get bright in April and May. He’s the closest thing the Rockets have to a “true” point guard on the entire roster.
“The real thing is the opportunity he’s getting, and he’s taking advantage of it,” Udoka told the media on Wednesday. “You’re going to get more of a rhythm with the more minutes and opportunities you get. We needed him to take that step this year, regardless of Fred being out. He’s really been great. We want him to continue to be confident.”
As his playing time is up and his comfort within his role is improving, Sheppard is starting to come on strong. Udoka doesn’t need to stop the game to tell him to shoot anymore.
In the six appearances he’s made since that Memphis game, Sheppard is averaging 15.7 points and three assists in 26.3 minutes per game, while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 51.3 percent on 3-pointers.
He’s been one of the most reliable players in the rotation as Houston has reeled off wins in 10 of its last 11 games.
As the Rockets have fully embraced their bruising, paint-dominant identity on offense, Sheppard’s floor spacing has been an essential tool to bring some much-needed balance to the offense whenever Sengun or Steven Adams aren’t pummeling people in the paint.
Per Cleaning The Glass, 29.3 percent of the Rockets’ field-goal attempts this season have been 3-pointers, which is last in the NBA by a considerable margin. However, the Rockets are making 42.3 percent of their 3s, which is tops in the league.
Sheppard, who has knocked down 47.3 percent of his 3s on the season, has played a significant role in the Rockets’ limited success from beyond the arc. He’s already the best 3-point shooter on a team that needs floor spacers outside of Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. Udoka has been turning to Sheppard more and more as the pressure release option when teams crowd Durant and Sengun.
With Houston’s top reserve, Tari Eason, sidelined for four-to-six weeks by an oblique strain, Sheppard’s importance has only increased. And as Sheppard’s confidence has grown, the lineups with him alongside Houston’s best players have become even more deadly.
Per Cleaning The Glass, when Sheppard, Durant and Şengün are on the floor together, the Rockets are outscoring teams by 21.6 points per 100 possessions.
The Durant-Sengun lineups have been devouring opponents over the past few weeks, but Sheppard’s increased usage has helped make Houston’s dynamic duo even more challenging to defend.
As the weeks go by, Sheppard will learn that his success isn’t solely tied to his shooting percentage or his on-off numbers. It’s about him being prepared when those small windows of opportunity arrive and understanding what his team needs him to do to keep the machine rolling.
Sometimes, it’ll be knocking down 3s. Other times, it’ll be him organizing the offense. Regardless, the most crucial factor is Sheppard’s willingness to step into those decisions with zero hesitation and complete confidence that he’s been in these situations enough to make the right move.
“I’m loving it,” Durant said after Houston’s Nov. 14 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. “He’s building confidence every single day. He’s just playing great ball for us. Reed is a spark plug for us. Every time he comes into the game, he gives us that jolt of energy.”
However, Sheppard’s offense isn’t the only part of this equation that matters. His defense will be a topic of conversation often when he’s playing against some of the top teams in the West because his 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame makes him a prime target for teams looking to exploit mismatches.
His defense has improved considerably after a bad outing in Houston’s season-opening double-overtime loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, Sheppard will be the weak link that teams try to attack.
Part of the reason Sheppard was such an intriguing prospect coming out of Kentucky last year was that he can be impactful defensively, even when his one-on-one defense comes into question.
Sheppard has extremely quick hands and a knack for forcing turnovers by being one step ahead of opposing guards as they run their respective offenses. He’s fifth in the NBA in deflections this season (57), despite being the only player in the top 25 of the category who’s played less than 300 minutes. He’s also tied with Thompson (20) for the most steals on the team this season, despite playing nearly 170 fewer minutes than Thompson.
Sheppard’s small, but he’s scrappy and doesn’t mind getting in the mix. His teammates love it when he really starts locking in on defense. Look how hyped Durant and Sengun get after this Sheppard steal in a win over Portland last week.
Reed Sheppard steal. Kevin Durant + Alperen Şengün love it. Special man. pic.twitter.com/UixJTUXs8m
— Rockets Clips (@Rockets_Clips) November 15, 2025
“Those winning plays, they fuel transition, energize us and it’s good to see a smaller guy stick his nose in there,” Udoka said that night. “Reed is a tough player, and I think all the guys are looking for that from him.”
Sheppard is slowly finding his way and turning into the player Houston hoped he would become. His recent production has provided a glimpse into just how much potential he has.
However, the Rockets aren’t looking to the future. They want to compete for a championship now, and a key part of that puzzle is Sheppard learning from his experiences over the next few months so he’ll be ready for his first real taste of the postseason.
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Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he’s been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. He is a New Orleans native. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory
