Reed Sheppard gives Rockets fans a massive reminder

The Houston Rockets had high hopes for Reed Sheppard.

Why else would they select him with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft? The Rockets saw star potential in Sheppard.

Perhaps they should still see it.

Granted, it’s been a trying rookie season for the Kentucky product. Sheppard has struggled to get on the floor. When he has played, the results have been mixed. There’s no shortage of Rockets fans who have given up on Sheppard.

In Wednesday’s contest, he may have earned a little more faith.

Rockets’ Reed Sheppard gives stunning performance

On a per-minute basis, Sheppard was the Rockets' best player in his comeback against the Jazz. He had a remarkable 15 points in just 9 minutes.

That's practically unfathomable production. Sheppard shot 7 field goals. They were all threes, and he made 5 of them.

Granted, the Rockets destroyed a brutal Jazz team by a final tally of 143-105. This was not necessarily a perfect test of Sheppard's abilities. Still, the Jazz are an NBA team. Sheppard went 5/7 from long-range against NBA competition. That should alleviate some concerns about his ability to get shots off against NBA competition.

When he was in college, nobody had those concerns.

Rockets' Reed Sheppard was Kentucky star

For those who have forgotten..

Sheppard shot 52.1% on 4.4 three-pointers per game in college. It's not a stretch to say that he's the best shooting prospect to come into the NBA in a long time.

Yes, there have always been concerns about the defense. Sheppard is a short guard, which can be problematic in the big leagues. Still, he also averaged a whopping 2.5 steals per game for Kentucky. With an impressive 0.7 blocks per game on the side, Sheppard was supposed to be a dynamic enough event creator on defense to offset his size to some extent.

There's still some for that vision to come to fruition.

Rockets' Sheppard still holds star potential

I'll avoid printing Sheppard's NBA stats. Some of our readers may be sensitive. Let's say this:

They are bad.

Still, fans shouldn't make the mistake of dismissing his potential. Rookies tend to adjust to NBA life at their own pace. Sheppard has landed in a unique situation as a high lottery pick on a contending team. He hasn't had time to fine the rhythm he needs to drain threes.

Next year, the bar will be higher. Sheppard needs to produce in the time he's given.

If last night was any indication, it shouldn't be an issue.