Rockets have put Reed Sheppard in an impossible position to succeed

As the Houston Rockets look to rebound from the devastating loss of starting point guard Fred VanVleet, it is almost certain that second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who was largely left out of the rotation last season, will be asked to take on a massive role.

Yet, with his defensive setbacks and developing perimeter shot, what is best for Sheppard is to be ingratiated slowly into the Rockets' young core, and, since the team now cannot afford to do that, they are putting Sheppard in an exceedingly difficult position this season to succeed.

On the one hand, if Sheppard can figure out his 3-point shot and be an effective passer, the team may have unlocked its next integral player. On the other hand, if he cannot, the team may have disastrously rushed the development of their youngest asset.

Reed Sheppard will be thrown into the fire this season, and it could stunt his development

Coming to the team as the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, expectations for Sheppard were high. Despite the fact that the organization's rebuild, and its attempt to assemble a dynamic young core, appeared to be working, the team desperately needed additional perimeter shooting. Sheppard, who shot an absurd 52.1% from beyond the arc in his lone season at Kentucky, seemed like the perfect fit for an emerging young Rockets squad.

Yet, in his rookie season, he struggled to even crack the rotation. Averaging just 12.6 minutes per night, Sheppard posted 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting just 33.8% from 3-point range.

Moreover, his small frame and lack of lateral quickness greatly limited his effectiveness in guarding his position, meaning that quicker opposing guards could either blow right by him en route to the basket or somewhat easily get the switches they needed to have this advantage.

The ideal course of action this season would be to give Sheppard a low-pressure rotational role, hoping that he finds his stride on the offensive end and makes up for any defensive setbacks through his production.

Yet, with the devastating injury to VanVleet, the team will now rely heavily on Sheppard and Amen Thompson to take over primary playmaking duties, and there is serious reason to doubt whether Sheppard is ready for this role.

For a player that has not even flashed his primary skill at the NBA level yet, adding on peripheral aspects, such as playmaking, could force the rest of his game to take a backseat, stunting his development and perhaps wrecking his confidence as the pressure on his shoulders mounts.

While, in an ideal scenario, this pressure would force Sheppard out of his shell and accelerate his development, the Rockets are taking a massive risk by pushing him into this role. However, due to VanVleet's injury, they now have almost no choice but to take the gamble.