Reed Sheppard problem continues to haunt the Rockets

As the Houston Rockets prepared to enter the new season, their burgeoning, potentially championship-contending roster was thrown for a loop with the news of starting point guard Fred VanVleet's devastating ACL tear in a team mini-camp.

Now, apart from the fact that the team has little backcourt depth to step into VanVleet's role, they are facing another massive problem. No matter his performance, second-year guard Reed Sheppard will need to take on massive minutes as a result of this deficit, and, if he continues to struggle, the team could be left with no other options.

While, on the flip side, we could see Sheppard's perimeter shot hit an elite level now that he has had time to become more comfortable in the league, the thought of what will happen if it doesn't should haunt Rockets fans as we enter the season.

Even if Reed Sheppard struggles, the Rockets still need him

With the Vanvleet injury, Houston went from one of the darlings of NBA media to a team with serious, serious concerns surrounding its ability to put together a viable offense.

While Sheppard and dynamic young wing Amen Thompson have shown flashes of playmaking ability, neither has proven, to this point in their young careers, that they are capable of taking over the massive offensive burden that this season will lay upon their shoulders.

On the one hand, this new pressure could force new facets of both Thompson's and Sheppard's games to come forth, accelerating both of their developments and deepening the Rockets' rotational versatility exponentially.

However, as John Hollinger pointed out on the most recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show, there is always the possibility that this does not pan out in Houston's favor and the Rockets are stuck in a nightmare position: "The way they're set up, [Sheppard] has to play. Sheppard and Holiday may both have to play."

On the surface, this does not necessarily present a crisis. Although Sheppard struggled to fully crack the rotation last season, he was always slated to get a rotational role this year for developmental purposes.

Yet, the VanVleet injury has catapulted him into a position of utmost importance for the team. Without reliable, veteran guards to take the reins, Sheppard will need to play significant minutes, and perhaps start, even if his perimeter shot does not find its form and his defensive setbacks make him a liability for the team.

Therefore, although there is still significant hope for the Rockets to put it together this season, they have now left themselves with a potential nightmare scenario on their hands if Sheppard does not take the steps they hope he can.