Rockets backcourt could take a surprising new look if positional rankings ring true

With the devastating ACL injury that Fred VanVleet sustained this offseason, the Houston Rockets are now stuck in a serious predicament: figuring out how they are going to reconfigure their backcourt around this loss.

However, if The Athletic's positional power rankings, assembled by Law Murray, prove to be any indication of the team's plans, both Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard will start in the backcourt, alleviating many of the issues that would come with starting just one or the other.

Such a move would allow offseason acquisition Kevin Durant to settle into his more natural position at the three-spot, and, although there would be significant risks taken in playing this sort of a backcourt, Houston ultimately has no real path toward playing it safe this season.

Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard could form the Rockets' starting backcourt

As the Rockets have played their first two preseason games against the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz, the coaching staff's attempts to feel out who will be their lead guard this year, and who will pick up rotational minutes, have become crystal clear. Both Thompson and Sheppard have gotten run taking the ball down the court, and guards such as Aaron Holiday and even JD Davison have gotten significant preseason minutes.

With VanVleet out, Thompson and Sheppard have been the two slated to get run as starting point guards throughout training camp.

However, in Murray's recent positional rankings, he listed Thompson as a point guard and Sheppard as a shooting guard, listing the Rockets as having the 16th-best point guard depth and the 29th-best shooting guard depth in the league.

While this distinction may have been simply for the sake of the ranking exercise, and likely does not have any bearing upon Houston's current decision-making process, it does introduce an interesting thought. If Sheppard's shooting can take shape and Thompson's playmaking can continue to improve, is this actually a solid backcourt combination?

Last season, through 69 games, Thompson continued to flash his abilities as a passer, averaging 4.3 assists per 36 minutes that he was on the court. With the additional attention that Durant will command from defenses, it is very possible that Thompson, also with the benefit of having the ball in his hands more, will continue to improve heavily in this area, fully taking on the role the team needs him to.

Moreover, the one thing that the Rockets are still relatively bereft of is perimeter shooting, and Sheppard, as a player who shot north of 50% from beyond the arc in college, certainly has the potential to represent that for the team.

Therefore, while it remains to be seen what lineup Houston will ultimately go with once the season begins, expect them to continue to experiment with their combinations throughout the early portions of the regular season and, perhaps, give Thompson and Sheppard some time on the court together.