Rising Stars tournament shows Rockets may regret draft decision

The Houston Rockets have rostered their share of rising stars in recent years.

This team is brimming with young talent. They've shown varying levels of potential, but what's clear is that the team's future is bright. The Rockets will spend the next few years deciding which of their young guys are "the core", and build around them.

It's too early to count Reed Sheppard out of that core. Everyone should acknowledge that. Sheppard is a rookie.

Still, if you're a Rockets fan who'd claim not to be concerned about him - stop being a dishonest person. Sheppard's rookie season has been a challenge.

His performance in the NBA's Rising Stars game didn't help his leaguewide-perception.

Rockets' Reed Sheppard struggles in exhibition

Sheppard represented Team G League against Team C on Saturday.

We've already landed on something worrisome. Sheppard has hardly spent any time in the G-League this year. Why is he being identified as a G-League player?

You'd expect him to control the game, right? Surely, he's the best player on the G-League team.

Think again.

Sheppard accounted for 0 of Team G-League's 14 points. Zero. That's the lowest number!

Instead, the G-League squad was led by Dink Pate (5 points) and Leonard Miller (5 points). Pate is a fringe NBA prospect. He should hear his name called in this summer's draft, but it's not guaranteed. Miller is a recent second-round pick who plays 2.8 minutes per game for the Timberwolves in his sophomore year.

How is it Sheppard didn't outplay these guys?

Rising Stars isn't an indictment on Sheppard

It's an exhibition game. It doesn't really matter.

Sure, Rockets fans will bemoan Stephon Castle's 12 points in the same contest. He was dominant. Again, it's just an exhibition game:

Castle's superior season-wide performance should be what concerns Rockets fans.

Sure, Castle is a flawed player. He's got a Box Plus/Munus (BPM) of -3.8 and he's shooting 28.9% from long-range. Yet, shooting was supposed to be Sheppard's calling card, and he's connecting on 27.3% of his long-range attempts. His -2.7 BPM is nothing to brag about either. Moreover, Castle has played on a far worse team, which depresses his BPM relative to Sheppard's.

The reality is that Castle has flashed considerably more potential. His long wingspan makes him a better defensive piece and a stronger driver. More broadly, Castle is just one example. Dalton Knecht looks like he'd have been a better choice than Sheppard at this juncture.

Once more - it's still early. Sheppard has ample time to turn it around. Still, it's undeniably true that his rookie year has left much to be desired:

As did his performance in the rising stars game.