Rockets desperately need to tune out absurd Reed Sheppard criticism

As the Houston Rockets entered the season, their primary question mark, undoubtedly, came in the form of second-year guard Reed Sheppard.

However, although many did, and still continue to, have serious doubts about the viability of his minutes given his defensive limitations and his relative instability as a playmaker, the Rockets must tune out this criticism in order to give their wildcard the necessary time to develop.

While Houston does indeed need Sheppard to take on a massive role this year in order for them to even approach their offensive ceiling, it should be no surprise that a guard with as little experience as Sheppard has struggled in his first games in a new role. The Rockets, therefore, should not overreact, and they must allow their Sheppard experiment to play itself out before making any drastic changes.

The Rockets need to continue to allow Reed Sheppard to develop

Last season, coming onto a stacked young roster, Sheppard struggled to crack the rotation as his perimeter shot failed to find its form. Across the 52 games he played in, he averaged only 12.6 minutes.

Yet, when starting point guard Fred VanVleet went down late this offseason with a devastating ACL tear, all eyes turned to Sheppard. He was going to need to step into a full role with the team in order for them to have any semblance of genuine guard play.

However, through his first two games this season, he struggled mightily, leaving many to doubt if he could even be given minutes at all. While he scored 18 points between their matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons, his five assists were evenly matched by his five turnovers. Sheppard, through those games, struggled to see the court and respond to pressure at the point of attack from opposing defenses.

Moreover, his defensive limitations were on full display, with opposing offenses targeting him relentlessly when he was on the court.

Yet, against the Brooklyn Nets, Sheppard finally had a game to place as a feather under his cap. Although he played most of his minutes in the fourth quarter, with the game essentially already having been decided, he managed to amass eight assists throughout the course of the night, giving up only two turnovers in the process.

One game isn't enough to prove that Sheppard can be the ball-handler that this team needs. However, at least early on in the season, fans should expect to see this sort of up-and-down play from the young guard. It was always going to come with the territory of asking him to take on a larger role.

Therefore, Houston must not succumb to the pressure to greatly reduce his minutes in pursuit of offensive cohesion in the interim. The only way this team reaches their ceiling is through Sheppard's rapid development, and that is a gamble they must be willing to make this season.