Reed Sheppard is quietly raising the Rockets' ceiling

As the Houston Rockets have continued to soar this season, climbing to a 7-3 record and the fifth seed in the Western Conference, the headlines have been dominated by the spectacular play of both Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun.

Yet, the improving play of young guard Reed Sheppard, who is finding his footing on both ends of the court as the season wears on, is the development that will ultimately determine the Rockets' ceiling this season, and, according to Tim Bontemps on the Monday's episode of The Hoop Collective, he's shown enough flashes that fans should be highly encouraged.

"It has been good to see him get into the flow and start making some plays, and it is a reminder that it is a very long season. This is a guy that is getting his first real chances to play, and he's making some improvements..."

Tim Bontemps, ESPN

Undoubtedly, there are still areas in which Sheppard must improve in order to become the player that the team ultimately needs him to be. Yet, as Bontemps says, he's already shown the ability to grow when he's given the opportunity, and this continued performance could make all the difference for Houston tis season.

Reed Sheppard is quietly becoming the type of player that the Rockets need in Fred VanVleet's absence

Through his first few games of the season, it seemed as though the concerns that everyone had surrounding Sheppard's deficiencies were coming to a harrowing fruition. He looked outmatched on the offensive end, continuing his streaky shooting woes from his rookie season, and, on the defensive end, he looked as though his lack of lateral quickness could make him quite literally unplayable as the season wore on.

Yet, through his past six games, Sheppard has averaged 13.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and three assists while shooting 58.8% from 3-point range, displaying to the world that he has found his footing at the NBA level and, hopefully, will continue to do so.

Despite the flashy shooting, however, there are two key areas that especially illuminate Sheppard's impact on the team. While he is likely not yet capable of taking over the starting point guard role, his 2.13 assist-to-turnover ratio is encouraging for his capability as a reliable playmaker, and he has cleaned up some of the unforced errors that plagued him in his earliest games this season.

Moreover, he is staying pesky on defense, timing steals and blocks despite his size and speed deficit against opposing guards. If there is any way for Sheppard to ingratiate himself in the Rockets' defense in spite of his deficiencies, this is it.

Therefore, although it remains to be seen how Sheppard will continue to develop throughout the course of the season, his performance so far has been encouraging, and, the higher he elevates his game, the higher Houston's ceiling will rise this season.