This Rockets player has the most to prove in 2025-26

The Houston Rockets have undergone a facelift.

For years, this has been a young group. Now, the Rockets offer an intriguing mix of ages. They still have 5 significant players under 25, but they'll also feature plenty of veterans in their rotation in 2025-26.

For some fans, it's a breath of fresh air. They're ready for the competence that comes with veteran experience. For others, this is a disappointment. They wanted the Rockets to continue developing their young players until they were the competent ones.

Any major decision will be divisive. The bottom line is that Houston intends to keep whoever they think will help them win, regardless of their age. That's great news for most of their remaining young players:

But we'll see how it bodes for Reed Sheppard.

Young Rockets guard has a lot to prove

The Rockets believe in Sheppard's potential. That's obvious:

If they didn't, he wouldn't be on the roster anymore.

It was clear that the organization was laser-focused on Sheppard ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. Why wouldn't they have been? Prospects who shoot 52.1% from deep with a 4.6 Steal Percentage do not grow on trees.

Unfortunately, those stats did not translate during Sheppard's 2024-25 rookie season. Instead, he shot 33.8% from deep. His 2.6 Steal Percentage was solid, but Sheppard didn't get on the floor often enough to make the most of those defensive instincts.

Realistically, it was defense that kept him off the floor. Steals are ultra valuable in the NBA, but if they come from a guard who's too small to contain his assignment, they only go so far. For a defensive-minded coach like Ime Udoka, Sheppard was too easily picked on to play regularly.

Will that change in 2025-26?

Sheppard needs to deliver for the Rockets

Interestingly, the Rockets have another small guard on the roster. Udoka has no issue playing him because he's not generally picked on defensively.

Whatever dark magic Fred VanVleet employs, he needs to teach it to Sheppard next year. If he can show the young guard how to defend despite his diminutive size, he should be able to make an impact as a backup guard.

After all, we saw that Sheppard's three-point accuracy improved with more reps. Rockets fans shouldn't let his questionable accuracy last year fool them. This is a gifted shooter.

Sheppard needs to put those gifts to use next year. If he can't, it wouldn't be a shock if Sheppard was the next Rocket to get shipped out of town:

They may not be done making changes if they underperform this year.