There’s a coming minutes crunch, but it sounds like Reed is going to get his.
After 2024 third overall draft pick Reed Sheppard showed up to NBA Summer League and looked like the best player in the draft for the Houston Rockets, questions became immediate about the potential for minutes.
Xiane covered this masterfully a week ago, but the Rockets have a 240 problem, as in there’s only 240 minutes to go around and too many players in Houston who likely deserve some of them. The rookie is certainly going to have to earn his spot. One NBA Insider, however, thinks he may have already done that.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon appeared on the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective Podcast this week talking about Sheppard and had this to say:
“He’ll be on the floor. I think he’ll play a significant role as a playmaker off the bench.”
I think that’s a wise decision for the Rockets, as Sheppard has a real shot to be Houston’s point guard of the future after Fred VanVleet leaves, but with Amen Thompson still getting guard minutes (though his future might be a playmaking forward) and Aaron Holiday back this season, the competition will be hot and heavy for playing time.
Again, repeating my colleague Xiane, after VanVleet and Jalen Green, there’s going to be roughly 35ish or so guard minutes to split between Thompson, Holiday, Sheppard and Cam Whitmore.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Holiday moved at some point this season after the Rockets feel comfortable enough with Sheppard to move on from his insurance policy. But that still leaves the other three in the low-to-mid 10s for guard minutes. I think Sheppard’s much-needed combination of playmaking, shooting and active defense very well could see him dominating many of those backup guard minutes by season’s end. To say nothing of the potential future of Jalen Green and what the Rockets end up doing there.
Either way, it appears the Rockets already feel strongly about Sheppard, and that’s a good thing.