Insane stat proves Rockets must take advantage of hidden Reed Sheppard lineup

The Houston Rockets have been getting huge performances from Reed Sheppard. The data suggests that they should play one lineup featuring him much more frequently.

It doesn't take a genius to figure this out. Sheppard has been excellent, so the Rockets are excellent when he's on the floor. That's typically how it goes in the NBA.

It's also understandable that Ime Udoka hasn't leaned on Sheppard as much as he could yet. He had a difficult rookie season. Sheppard is still emerging. He's a small guard, which may run contrary to Udoka's instincts. Still, it's getting to a point where Sheppard needs to be on the floor more often:

The numbers seem to concur.

Rockets dominate with Sheppard alongside starters

Per CleaningTheGlass, the Rockets are +33.9 in 65 possessions when Sheppard plays with Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun.

For what it's worth, they're even more potent when he's on the floor with the twin towers. Steven Adams, Sengun, Tari Eason, Thompson, and Sheppard are +54.6 in 46 possessions.

Otherwise, there aren't any Sheppard lineups with a large enough sample size to bother mentioning. That's the problem, but let's circle back to that.

That specific twin towers lineup isn't an option until Eason returns. That group leans heavily on offensive rebounding, and can't quite be replicated without Eason. Still, Sheppard with the starters instead of Josh Okogie has been potent.

Let's hope Ime Udoka is taking notes.

Rockets should lean on Sheppard more

That's not to say Sheppard couldn't play with Okogie. Lineups featuring them in the backcourt together instead of Amen Thompson could give the Rockets five-out spacing.

Obviously, that's not to say Thompson should be deprioritized either. The point is that the Rockets have a deep, versatile group. Sheppard is seemingly one of the best shooters in the league, so he can unlock any number of combinations of players.

Here's the bottom line: Sheppard is playing 23.9 minutes per game in 2025-26. That number should be approaching 30 by the season's end.

It wouldn't be crazy to suggest that Sheppard has been Houston's third-best player in 2025-26. That spot was earmarked for Amen Thompson. He's been struggling with a new position this year, but the point holds: Sheppard has been outstanding.

Play him with the double bigs. Play him with the starters. It doesn't matter where you put Sheppard. His elite shooting and defensive playmaking should elevate any lineup he's in this season.

It's time to take full advantage of that.