LAS VEGAS — Dressed in a black Rockets polo, red shorts and holding a basketball, second-year Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard is holding court at the end of the bench on a hot July afternoon.
His teammates Nate Williams, Dante N’Faly and Kevon Harris are huddled around Sheppard like he’s drawing up a game-winning play, clinging to every word while the rest of the summer league team scrimmages against a select team from the Japanese B.League in the bowels of the Cox Pavilion.
Over the past few days, Sheppard has become a teacher and leader for a collection of players desperate to crack the end of a tight Rockets rotation. It’s an unusual scene considering Sheppard’s typical reticent nature. But it’s part of an offseason aim to make Sheppard more of a prominent figure and a star in his role.
“He’s been more vocal with this group,” Rockets acting head coach Garrett Jackson said prior to Houston’s 95-92 loss to Los Angeles on Friday. “I’m constantly encouraging him to do that. But just being more assertive, getting us set up in our sets as the point guard of this team.”
Jackson has empowered Sheppard to take full command of the offense. During Houston’s first summer league game, Sheppard was invited into the coaches’ huddle during a second-quarter timeout, making sure he’s fully part of the process. During practice, Jackson will occasionally pull Sheppard to the side to go over instructions during dead-ball and out-of-bounds situations, as well as during free throws. Aside from that, Sheppard has been entrusted with the keys to Houston’s offense. Jackson and the coaching staff want the Kentucky product to play fast and freely, operating under a freelance system based off principles learned under head coach Ime Udoka last season.
“He’s developing,” Williams said of Sheppard. “He’s getting better and better every day. He puts in the work and I see him putting in the work behind the scenes. I love having him as a teammate. He’s not the most vocal guy — he leads with his actions — but he does what he’s supposed to do. Makes the right plays and does the right things off the court. He’s a good kid and he’s growing everyday.”
Houston’s push to fast-track Sheppard’s growth stems from internal confidence in his potential. Sheppard spent the majority of his rookie season glued to the bench — including a positive G League stint with the Vipers — but he capitalized on a number of opportunities following the All-Star break, particularly in the final month of the season. In consecutive games against the Lakers and Clippers, two teams fighting for playoff seeding in late April, Sheppard amassed an impressive 34 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals — including shooting an efficient 10-for-18 from 3-point range. The whispers about Sheppard’s role next season, which have grown louder in volume, have the potential to give Udoka another quality floor spacer, ball handler and two-way playmaker.
Vegas basketball isn’t known for its quality — both teams finished with more turnovers than assists — but Sheppard’s performance, with his senior teammates and coaches seated courtside, breeds optimism for his future production.
Sheppard finished with a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks in 33 minutes of action. Sure, the former No. 3 pick in the draft should dominate summer league action against players, the majority of which will either end up in the G League or overseas. But Houston’s insistence of Sheppard maximizing his role starts with play in July.
The Rockets are well-aware of Sheppard’s floor spacing prowess. Sheppard shot just 33.8 percent from 3 last season, but an inconsistent role certainly factors into inconsistent shooting splits, even for someone regarded for that particular skill. He hit six 3s on Friday night — the majority of them being a high degree of difficulty — with Fred VanVleet cheering him on the whole way, encouraging him to launch.
It’s the other areas — namely defensive activity and creation — where Houston team officials and the coaching staff want to improvement. Sheppard recently spoke to ESPN about his defensive-centric summer workouts, not touching a basketball for the first 40 minutes of practice. That, in conjunction with his dedication to becoming stronger to deal with NBA physicality, should be the biggest reason he’s in line for an uptick in minutes.
Udoka has established a tenacious defensive culture that requires all players on the floor to buy in, with no room for negotiation. That means even Sheppard, who is listed at a shade under 6-foot-2 without shoes, has to be aggressive from the point of attack and stay with the ball like in the possession below, where he’s able to finish the play with a sneaky block. Even at the NBA level, Sheppard was guilty of overcommitting at times, leaving himself vulnerable to opposing drives, but his recovery speed puts him in great position.
It’s also important that Sheppard not only becomes a solid individual defender, but within a team structure as well. The Rockets toggled back and forth between zone and man-to-man defense all evening, but being proficient in the former is becoming increasingly important under Udoka. Here, Sheppard times the pass to perfection and jumps the lane, using his quick hands to blow up the action and spring in the other direction.
“Originally, it was OK,” Sheppard said of his defensive activity. “I’ll be able to sit down and watch some film tomorrow. But that’s been a big thing that we’ve been working on this offseason for sure. Being more physical on the defensive end.”
As a playmaker, Sheppard finished with four assists but had a number of nifty passes, using his gravity to create opportunities. The Rockets missed 22 of their 33 3s, but Sheppard’s process is more important than counting stats. Here, he’s able to manipulate defenders in the pick-and-roll, forcing the low man to commit to a potential roll while swinging a crosscourt look to Williams. There were a few instances where he was pressured into making mistakes, but for the most part he played well with the ball in his hands.
“Up tempo is good,” Jackson said. “We did some stuff where guys set early ball screens for him and it freed him up to get downhill. That was good.”
It’s unknown at this point just how long Sheppard will play in Vegas — Jackson said he’ll play until he’s told otherwise — but it’s clear that he’s ready for a longer leash heading into a pivotal year. Or, as the kids say, let Reed cook.
(Top photo of Reed Sheppard last season: Alex Slitz/Getty Images)