Reed Sheppard inching closer to answering question that will define his future

This season, almost no storyline has been more surprisingly pleasing for the Houston Rockets than the emergence of second-year guard Reed Sheppard as a genuine scoring threat, and the boost that he has seen in both his confidence and in his performance have the potential to define the team's season.

Yet, given the inconsistencies in his shot that he experienced last year, the next 20 or so games will determine whether the breakout shooting mark that he has seen this season will be sustainable. If it is, the Rockets have a truly special player on their hands.

So far this season, Sheppard has shot 45.5% from beyond the arc, looking willing to pull up from almost anywhere on the court. If this holds strong, there is no question that Sheppard will be a future cornerstone of a team that desperately needs his skill-set.

Reed Sheppard is approaching a crossroads in his development

Last season, after the Rockets selected Sheppard with the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, he was largely held out of a larger role in the rotation as he found his footing in the NBA. He averaged just 12.6 minutes in the 52 games in which he appeared, and he averaged just 4.4 points while shooting 33.8% from beyond the arc.

Yet, Houston knew they had a potentially generational sharpshooter on their hands when they chose Sheppard in the draft, and, so far this season, he has proven that he, at the very least, has the potential to become one.

As a smaller guard, Sheppard's defensive limitations require him to be an exceptional outside shooter in order to maintain his value on a game-to-game basis. If he can continue to see rapid improvement in that area of his game, he could very quickly become the exact player the Rockets need to step into the starting lineup.

Yet, players get off to hot shooting starts all the time, only to see their numbers steadily decline when applied to a larger sample size. There is not necessarily anything in Sheppard's game to indicate that his shooting numbers are unsustainable, but the rest of the season will represent a major test of his ability to remain a knockdown perimeter shooter over the course of a whole campaign.

Given the strides he has taken as a playmaker and as a mid-range shooter, this is likely the final question that needs to be answered before the Rockets can truly determine whether or not they have a star on their hands.