Reed Sheppard may be the Rockets' most important bench piece if crucial stat holds

As the Houston Rockets have climbed to a 3-2 record, the team has shocked the NBA by posting the best 3-point shooting clip in the league, looking completely rejuvenated offensively from a season ago.

Yet, while the team's starters have certainly been lethal from beyond the arc, Reed Sheppard's perimeter shot has also found its form, and, if this holds relatively steady, he could quickly become the team's most important bench player.

Although Houston entered the season with long-shot hopes of Sheppard taking on a starting role, it appears as though, for now, he will be most effective taking on significant bench minutes, and, if he is able to provide the extra offensive punch the team needs, those minutes could become infinitely more viable despite his defensive limitations.

Reed Sheppard's 3-point shot could make him the bench piece that the Rockets desperately need

Although, coming into the league, Sheppard profiled as a potentially lethal perimeter shooter, he struggled to find his form in his rookie year, only shooting 33.8% from beyond the arc and being limited to just 12.6 minutes per game.

Yet, with the injury to starting point guard Fred VanVleet, it quickly became clear that Sheppard was going to need to take on big minutes this season, and, so far, he has proved worthy of them.

Through the team's first five games, Sheppard has shot 44.4% from 3-point range on 5.4 attempts per game, capped by his 4-for-5 performance against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.

If Sheppard could approach 40% across the course of the whole season, he could dramatically change the potency of the Rockets' offense.

Don't get it wrong, Tari Eason is a highly impactful player on both ends of the floor, and his offensive contributions, so far this season, have been significant. Yet, it appears as though the team is leaning into a revamped offensive identity with Kevin Durant on the roster, and having a player who is capable of shooting at a high clip from deep to provide extra offense in the non-Durant minutes will be wholly necessary.

Moreover, while Sheppard's defensive limitations as a smaller guard are certainly hard to ignore, and could play a major factor in his playing time when the postseason rolls around, his perimeter shot will buy him time to figure out how to become impactful on that end of the floor by making his minutes (at least offensively) viable.

Therefore, if Sheppard's 3-point shot can hold steady, it's not a stretch to say he could become one of the team's most important players before the end of the season.