Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard is headed to the G League
It’s been anything but an ideal start to Reed Sheppard‘s NBA career, so he’s being sent to the G League for some extra playing time.
The Houston Rockets announced Monday the franchise is assigning Sheppard to its G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Rockets can choose to bring him back at any time. The Vipers play next on Tuesday night.
After being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Sheppard’s rookie season has seen him spend most of his time on the bench. The 6-foot-2 guard has appeared in 30 games for the Rockets in 2024-25 but with low per-game averages of 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 11.6 minutes. He’s shooting just 32.2 percent overall from the field.
A move to the G League could be good for Sheppard, who simply needs more playing time right now. The 20-year-old native of the Bluegrass showed spurts of productivity and a longer leash by head coach Ime Udoka early in the season, but that leash has tightened as of late. Sheppard has not played a single minute in three of the Rockets’ previous four outings. The one game he did appear in came down the stretch of a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics.
Houston is currently second in the Western Conference with a record of 23-12. This is a team in win-now mode. Sheppard is having to play behind a starting backcourt that includes Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet, who rank first and third on the team in scoring, respectively. There isn’t a massive need for the coaching staff to focus on Sheppard’s immediate development with extended minutes. A move to the G League makes sense given the context.
But it’s also tough to see a Top 3 pick already being bumped down a level, especially one who was so beloved in Lexington and throughout the entire state. But most Top 3 picks also don’t go to teams with aspirations of making deep playoff runs. They usually go to teams that want to feed young players as many minutes as possible. This is a somewhat unique situation for the former Wildcat.
The good news is Sheppard should have plenty of success in the G League with the Vipers. He needs playing time; this is the best way to get it. But let’s also not forget the NBA said Sheppard had the second-best assist of 2024. His future is still very bright.
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