The rookie looks like what you might expect, a rookie.
Reed Sheppard’s first two weeks in the NBA have been rather unspectacular, but that could also be said about the rest of this rookie class. While a slow start may be surprising to some, what has come as a bigger shock is the lack of utilization of the Houston Rockets first round pick.
Through six games, Sheppard has only averaged 8 minutes per game, and he hasn’t seen double-digit run since the second game of the season. For Ime Udoka to hit such an abrupt pause on Sheppard’s playing time is a head-scratcher, especially as Fred VanVleet has struggled mightily through the first set of games.
Leaning on veterans in lieu of fresh-faced rookies is not a new practice throughout sports, thus, it may be an explanation of why there was an uptick in Aaron Holiday getting 16 minutes in Saturday’s thriller versus the Golden State Warriors. As for Sheppard, that shouldn’t be any declaration of thought on how the Rockets and Udoka feel about him. It’s the nature of the game.
Sheppard hasn’t been bad by any stretch, but it’s hard to make an argument that he’s been good so far. However, in Sheppard’s defense, it’s tough to provide much impact when you only see the court for the length of a commercial break. Therefore it’s tough to evaluate the third overall pick from this draft with a minuscule amount of data to parse through.
On the bright side, the sharpshooter projection remains true as Sheppard has connected on 3-for-7 on threes for the year. The shot is pure, baby. That element of Sheppard’s game is something that will certainly be called upon more as the season develops for a team that loves to shoot the long ball, but has had mediocre results up to this point. It may become even more imperative that Sheppard gets more looks if VanVleet continues to look awry with his 28 percent shooting splits.
In regard to Rookie of the Year implications, there’s still a whole heap of season left for Sheppard to get back on track. As it stands, there’s only one rookie averaging double digits, Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies, but even then, he’s only at 10.3 PPG. The preseason ROTY, Zach Edey, also hasn’t got off to the hottest start as he is only playing 18 minutes per game. In short, Sheppard isn’t in lonely company.
There’s no doubt that a heavier dose of Reed Sheppard is on the way, the biggest mystery is when. All it could take for him to get rolling is getting an extended look and at that point, Sheppard is good enough to take the call out of Udoka’s hands. Once the game slows down for Sheppard, he’ll become a fixture in the everyday lineup.