Rockets officially have Reed Sheppard problem on their hands ahead of trade deadline

The Houston Rockets, so far this season, have absolutely looked like a championship contender in spite of any problems that may be lingering in their offensive attack.

Yet, as trade season rapidly approaches, the team still has one major Reed Sheppard question they must answer. Do they need to make a move for a point guard, or has he shown enough early-season promise to warrant being handed the keys to the point guard role?

In the absence of Fred VanVleet, this was always going to be the central question that Houston was going to need to face, especially considering their lofty expectations for this team. If Sheppard is not ready yet, how quickly can he be? And, if he's not, what are they willing to sacrifice in order to give this team the juice it needs in order to compete for a championship?

Reed Sheppard must be the Rockets' answer at point guard, or they must begin to search externally

When VanVleet went down late this past offseason with a devastating ACL injury, a massive hole in the Rockets' roster immediately became apparent given their overall lack of depth in the backcourt.

So far, Amen Thompson has been the answer, and he's handled it well considering the massive change in role that this season has necessitated. Through his first 21 games, he's averaging 17.4 points, seven rebounds and 5.1 assists (to just 2.7 turnovers).

Yet, his defensive impact has taken a distinctive hit, and it has become clear that he is more effective offensively when he is enabled to play off-ball, cutting to the rim and capitalizing off of the gravity that Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun command.

Therefore, while it has emerged as a technically viable option, it is likely not the best path for this team to keep Thompson at point guard long-term. All eyes then turn to Sheppard.

He has already taken massive strides this season, averaging 13 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 44.6% from beyond the arc in a role that has primarily seen him come off the bench.

Yet, while his perimeter shooting and his passing ability seems to be climbing toward the level that many thought he could reach coming out of the draft, he is still liable to get sped up by opposing defenses, and his own defensive limitations are still a major obstacle for his minutes to reach outright viability.

Given how rapidly he has progressed this season, it is not ridiculous to think that he could be ready to take over the starting point guard role by season's end. Yet, has Houston seen enough out of him that they feel confident placing their championship hopes in his hands?

This is a question they desperately need to answer as trade season approaches, and any uncertainty that remains could prove to be disastrous as the season wears on.