Amen Thompson says quiet part out loud about Reed Sheppard

As the Houston Rockets head into the 2025-26 NBA season, the devastating injury to starting point guard Fred VanVleet means that there is now a healthy amount of uncertainty regarding the role of second-year guard Reed Sheppard.

While he did not make much of an impact on the rotation in his rookie season, a major leap forward would be huge for the team, and, in his Media Day interview, emerging star Amen Thompson has indicated his faith in Sheppard's ability to take that leap.

Although the team is in somewhat dire straits in VanVleet's absence, Thompson and Sheppard have about as high a ceiling as one could ask for in this situation, and Thompson's confidence should calm some of the anxieties surrounding this team as they enter training camp.

Amen Thompson believes Reed Sheppard could take a second-year leap

Thompson, who became one of the most electrifying players in the league in his second season, knows a thing or two about breakouts. While his rookie season was solid (he averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists), his sophomore campaign was truly special.

Across 69 games this past season, Thompson averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists, shooting 55.7% from the field and earning both consideration for Defensive Player of the Year and his first nod to the NBA All-Defensive Team.

Now, as the team needs both players to continue pushing their game forward this season, Thompson believes Sheppard is ready to make the jump: "He's been working for sure... But just seeing the confidence grow, and Reed's got a lot of skills. He can shoot; he's a really good passer. I think we're going to see a lot more this year."

The team, undeniably, needs Thompson's faith to be correct. With VanVleet likely out for the season, the team's guard rotation consists solely of Thompson, Sheppard, Aaron Holiday and Josh Okogie. Among this group, only Thompson and Sheppard have a real shot to earn the starting point guard role, and their playmaking capabilities could make or break this offense.

Last season, Sheppard largely failed to earn a rotational role, averaging 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting just 33.8% from beyond the arc. Yet, he has the potential to be an elite perimeter shooter and a capable playmaker if he can continue to develop his game, and Houston must hope he can do so in order to take on viable, and significant, minutes for the team this year.