It's not even training camp and the Rockets already have a Reed Sheppard problem

As the Houston Rockets prepare to enter training camp, a number of questions have sprung up from the devastating Fred VanVleet injury.

Yet, perhaps the most pressing of these is whether young guard Reed Sheppard, who played a limited rotational role last season, will be able to take on the new responsibilities that will be laid upon his shoulders this season, and training camp should begin to reveal just how afraid Rockets fans should be.

Sheppard, 21, was not drafted with the immediate intention of becoming an every-game player for Houston given their excess of young talent on the roster. Now, however, he must take on a bona-fide rotational role in order for the team to make up for their utter lack of guard depth.

Reed Sheppard could be the biggest question mark on the Rockets' roster this season

Coming out of college, Sheppard was one of the most highly-touted sharpshooting prospects in years, having shot an absurd 52.1% from beyond the arc in his lone year at Kentucky.

Last season with Houston, however, these skills did not quite show themselves. Through 52 games, Sheppard averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting just 33.8% from 3-point range. In fairness, Sheppard was limited to just 12.6 minutes per game as a result of the team's need to play its more viable young talent, including Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore, off the bench.

Nevertheless, the team must now reckon with the fact that Sheppard could need to take on a large rotational, or even a starting, role this year in VanVleet's absence. While dynamic young wing Amen Thompson will likely slide to the starting point guard spot, the team's depth behind that, which includes only Sheppard, Aaron Holiday and Josh Okogie, is questionable at best.

Sheppard is largely a negative on defense because of his small frame, and his passing ability, while it was present in college, has not yet evolved beyond the simple plays at an NBA level.

Yet, one of the major needs for this roster is outside shooting, and, if Sheppard's numbers can climb closer to 40% from beyond the arc, his minutes could become exponentially more viable. If he cannot, however, the Rockets could be left in a nightmare position: with no choice but to give Sheppard significant, ineffective minutes.

Therefore, while the way the starting lineup shakes out will be interesting, perhaps the biggest storyline to watch for Houston heading into training camp is how big of a leap Sheppard appears poised to make in year two.