Rockets' Reed Sheppard is blowing everyone away at Summer League

It's not enough for an NBA player to perform well. Their performance will still be scrutinized. What was the competition level? Does this strong play really "count"?

Understandably, Summer League performances are similarly picked apart. No matter how sensational a player looks in that context, we'll still have questions. We need to see them perform at a higher level before we're willing to anoint them.

That said, Houston Rockets fans can get a little bit excited about Reed Sheppard. Reports suggest that he's been blowing rival executives away.

We're a bit blown away as well.

Houston Rockets may have landed a star

Although, in the Rockets' recent game against the Timberwolves, some fans may have been unimpressed.

To be fair, Sheppard finished with a whopping 9 turnovers. He also missed all 5 of his free throw attempts.

Yet, even while struggling, Sheppard gave us reasons to be hopeful. To begin with, he still finished a reasonable 9/17 from the field for 20 points. When Sheppard's three wasn't falling, he moved to the midrange. His ability as a three-level scorer has been impressive in Summer League so far.

Also: Did you see the coverage Sheppard was facing? The Timberwolves guarded him similarly to how the Pistons did in the Rockets' previous contest. They threw the kitchen sink at him.

Double teams? Check. Halfcourt coverage? Check. It would be premature to draw comparisons between Sheppard and Steph Curry, but the Timberwolves were guarding Sheppard like the Chef himself.

Perhaps he's Summer League's Curry?

Houston Rockets must be excited about Sheppard

To truly earn those comparisons, Sheppard will have to work on his ball-handling. Most of those turnovers were a result of relentless ball pressure, but with a tighter handle, he could have avoided a few of them.

Still, he's been impressive during Summer League. Sheppard has raised leaguewide perceptions about his potential ceiling:

No matter what competition he's been facing.