The Rockets must let this veteran guard walk in free agency this summer

The Houston Rockets are walking a fine line.

This team won 52 games in 2024-25. Yet, they have seven young players who are colloquially referred to as "the core 7."

That's an awfully large core.

This season, every member of the alleged "core" was not created equally. Cam Whitmore saw his minutes decline. Meanwhile, Reed Sheppard was not treated like a typical third overall pick. Finding a balance between trusting their young players and winning games is this team's most difficult mandate.

There's a clear way to get Sheppard more minutes in 2025-26.

Rockets should let veteran guard walk

It's simple: Get Aaron Holiday out of his way.

None of this should be taken as a criticism of Holiday. It's the opposite. He's a good player. That's precisely the problem.

Ime Udoka trusted him over Sheppard last year. Who could blame him? Holiday is a much more reliable defender, and if you haven't noticed, that holds weight with Udoka.

Playing him ahead of Sheppard was reasonable in 2024-25. Next year, it would be malpractice. There's no sense in drafting a player third overall and keeping him in your third string behind a career reserve.

Even if it costs the Rockets a win or two.

Rockets must prioritize Sheppard - even at a cost

Sheppard may fare better than Holiday as Fred VanVleet's primary backup next year. He ought to be a more dynamic offensive player than Holiday as a sophomore. If he isn't, the Rockets have a problem on their hands.

Sure, Sheppard was underwhelming as a rookie. His 33.8% shooting from three-point range was lower than expected. That said, he never had an opportunity to find his footing. Sheppard's adjustment period ended up being a season-long.

When he did get an opportunity, he looked good. Sheppard shot an absurd 6/10 from long range in a meaningless game down the stretch of the season. If he'd had a handful of 37-minute games throughout the year, that three-point percentage could look considerably better.

One game does not make for proof of concept. It's entirely possible that Sheppard won't even be a good NBA player. The point is that the Rockets invested too much in him not to find out.

So, they should decline Holiday's team option and let him walk. If Sheppard doesn't cut the mustard, Holiday should be fairly easy to replace in the buy-out market. If he does, the Rockets have found a role for their third overall pick:

That's a balance they have to strike eventually.