One summer league stat that's deeply concerning for Rockets' Reed Sheppard

The Houston Rockets have shut Reed Sheppard down for the remainder of the NBA summer league. They ought to be concerned about what they saw from him across two games.

Granted, that's two games. This is a minuscule sample size. That said, some unfortunate problems reared their ugly heads - and they were the same problems we saw with Sheppard throughout the regular season.

Rockets see troubling signs from lottery pick

Sheppard looked like a generational shooter in college. He knocked down 52.5% of his triples. That's an obscene number. It's accuracy that's seldom reached by even the best NBA 2K players.

(Anyone shooting a higher percentage is cheating. I don't make the rules.)

As a rookie in 2024-25, that accuracy did not translate. Sheppard shot 33.8% from deep. It was a lower mark than expected, but it is assumed that a rookie's accuracy will dip as he adjusts to NBA-level defenders and athletes:

But what's Sheppard's excuse in summer league?

Across those two games, he hit just 31.8% of his triples. Sheppard struggled to get his shot off. Outside of a couple of games, we've seen little evidence that Sheppard can be the generational shooter he was billed as coming out of college.

There are a couple of explanations, and none of them are charitable. Perhaps Sheppard was built for the college game. He's a short guard, and he's not particularly agile. It may be that his physical limitations simply mattered less in the NCAA.

Alternatively, his remarkable season at Kentucky could have been little more than an extended hot streak. Shooting is volatile by nature. It's hard to determine which sample size is an accurate representation of a player's level. It's possible that Sheppard hit a peak that he won't hit again in college.

How concerned should Rockets fans be?

Rockets could still have star in Sheppard

Let's say it's alert status orange.

The sky, like Sheppard's three ball, is not falling. Sheppard could still find his rhythm and explode. It's far too early to write the soon-to-be sophomore off.

It's also possible that the summer league isn't a fair environment in which to judge Sheppard. He was practically functioning as a heliocentric offensive hub. With the main roster, he'll be playing off of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. There will be more off-ball reps available to Sheppard.

So, there's no need to panic, but it is worth keeping an eye on the situation. If Sheppard can't hit his stride as a sophomore in 2025-26, his place with the Rockets will be in peril. This team is ready to win, and they won't wait for Sheppard to actualize his potential:

Just as they didn't wait to pull him from summer league play.