Rockets have difficult Reed Sheppard decision to make this summer

The Houston Rockets have recently become comfortable in the NBA Draft lottery. They've spent a lot of time there.

Any longtime NBA fan knows that not every lottery pick is created equally. Some fool scouts with outlier athletic traits, and don't develop enough skill to maximize them at the NBA level. Other prospects don't get the right opportunities or end up in the right developmental program.

The Rockets must make sure that's not Reed Sheppard's story.

Rockets need to decide on Sheppard

So far, that's Sheppard's trajectory.

He was the third overall pick. So, it's likely that Sheppard was expecting more than 12.6 minutes per game as a rookie. Unfortunately, that's how many minutes per game he played.

It's hard to blame Ime Udoka. He had a directive from the front office to win as many games as possible. That's typically hard when you've got a rookie running point. Udoka leaned heavily on Fred VanVleet, and even Aaron Holiday played marginally more minutes per game than Sheppard (12.8).

That's all understandable. Next year, it won't be so defensible. The Rockets spent the third overall pick on Sheppard last summer. They have to do something with him.

That doesn't necessarily mean putting him on the floor.

Rockets could shop Sheppard on trade market

Full transparency: I don't want the Rockets to move Sheppard.

I want them to explore his potential. When Sheppard did get an extended run, he often performed well. It seems likely that Sheppard was struggling to find his rhythm playing in an unfamiliar, limited role.

Moreover, his play was too passive throughout the season. Sheppard played like he was afraid to make a mistake. It was commonplace to see him make lateral passes instead of trying to create an advantage. Sheppard knew his leash was short, so he didn't want to test his boundaries.

Next year, that can't be the case. If Sheppard is on the roster, he needs to be VanVleet's primary backup. That should mean at least 5 minutes more per game, and ideally more. When he's on the floor, Sheppard needs to be empowered to play his game to the fullest extent.

Otherwise? Trade him. Sheppard can't spend his first two NBA seasons glued to the bench. That will cost him too many meaningful developmental reps. Sheppard will be heading into his third NBA season with too little NBA experience to reach his potential. The Rockets could end up spoiling his development:

It wouldn't be the first time in NBA history.