Reed Sheppard Stats Tonight: How did Rockets rookie fare against Tyrese Haliburton's Pacers? (Nov. 20)
Reed Sheppard and the Houston Rockets hosted the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at Toyota Center. Rookie Sheppard struggles to find playing time after earning only seven minutes of action in the opening half. The No. 3 overall pick made it count, though.
Sheppard tallied five points, one rebound and an assist in his limited time during the opening half. He had a +/- -1 box score.
Sheppard's two makes came off a 3-point shot and a drive to the rim. He made a wide-open 3 after an offensive rebound tip from Jock Landale found him. The layup was more impressive as Sheppard went up against the towering presence of Pascal Siakam, nailing a hook shot over him on a drive.
Sheppard got nine minutes of playing time in the second half as the Rockets closed the game early with a massive lead. However, the rookie could add only two more points to his first-half total
Reed Sheppard ended the game with seven points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals, shooting 3 of 5. He had one turnover and a box +/- of -9.
Rockets must use Reed Sheppard more amid 3-point struggles
The Houston Rockets must maximize Reed Sheppard's offensive potential. The rookie could resolve one of their most glaring weaknesses this season, which is their 3-point shooting. Houston is making only 32.5% of its shots from deep, which ranks 28th.
A known shooter throughout his college career, Reed is attempting only 2.0 shots from the arc in 11.9 minutes per game of playing time. He is connecting on 37.5% of those, the highest among all Rockets players with at least 2.0 attempts.
The Rockets' volume is also only 36.0%, which is 16th in the NBA. While they might benefit from their defense, there are nights the offense will have to click. The blueprint set by several teams that are efficient on that end comes from their 3-point shooting ability.
While the Rockets boast an 11-5 winning record, they must continue developing a prospect like Reed Sheppard for potential lean stretches that are imminent over an 82-game season.
The Spurs, Lakers and 76ers are already setting an example of that by giving their first-round picks, Stephon Castle, Dalton Knecht and Jared McCain, significant minutes. Sheppard is potentially just as ready and good to contribute if given enough playing time.