Rockets right to relegate Reed to Rio Grande Vipers

The Houston Rockets have a lot of young talent. Some would even suggest that they have too much.

How is that possible? Well, it's a rich person's problem. Still, the Rockets have a rotational crunch. There isn't sufficient time in an NBA game to give every young player on this team a fair shake. It seems that it's already leading to discontent with Cam Whitmore.

Whitmore may feel that his talent warrants more minutes. Fair enough. He can complain - but he shouldn't expect Reed Sheppard to listen. Sheppard was the 3rd overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and he's seeing just 11.6 minutes per game.

His job description is about to change - but not with the Rockets. They've just assigned him to their G-League affiliate Rio Grande Vipers.

Rockets' Sheppard struggling with main roster

In fairness, Ime Udoka has had little reason to feature Sheppard more prominently.

Never mind his counting stats. They're marginal because of his limited playing time. Sheppard's Box Plus/Minus (BPM) is -3.1. His True Shooting % (TS%) is 41.4%.

Yikes.

Yet, Rockets fans should not judge him too harshly. A typical third-overall pick would be on the floor for twice as much time as Sheppard. It's difficult to say how Sheppard may perform if given that usual leash.

Now, we should at least get to find out how he looks with the ball in his hands.

Sheppard should shine in Rio Grande

What have the criticisms of Sheppard been?

Above all else, he's been tentative. Sheppard seems afraid to make a mistake with the ball. That's understandable. On a playoff team, a player's playing time is tethered tightly to their production.

On the Rio Grande Vipers, it will be different. Sure, the Vipers are a professional basketball team. They want to win. Still, it will be undeniably easier for Sheppard to find playing time. He should be instantly among the G-League's better players.

Specifically, Rockets fans should look forward to seeing him with the ball in his hands. Sheppard should be the Vipers' primary playmaker. It will be interesting to see what he does with those reps.

Moreover, Sheppard should benefit from simply seeing the ball go through the net. Shooting is partially based on rhythm. With the Rockets, Sheppard doesn't have enough time to find his stride. On the Vipers, he should see a steep increase in his three-point attempts:

They don't have nearly as much talent as the Rockets.