Reed Sheppard's confidence "at an all-time high" as he knocks down hook shots over Kevin Durant

Reed Sheppard‘s NBA moment is about to arrive. With the Houston Rockets losing starting point guard Fred VanVleet to an ACL injury, possibly for the entire 2025-26 season, Sheppard is expected to fill in the gaps and assume a real role in the rotation.

But the question remains: is he ready for it?

Sheppard’s rookie season did not go as planned after the Houston brass selected him No. 3 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, although the lack of production wasn’t necessarily his fault. The Rockets lucked into a high draft pick with aspirations of making a deep playoff run last season. That put Sheppard on the outside looking in. His 654 total minutes played ranked 32nd among all rookies in 2024-25. He was never truly allowed to hit his groove.

Now playing alongside future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, the former Kentucky star will have that opportunity beginning at the end of this month.

“My confidence, right now, is at an all-time high,” Sheppard said at Rockets Media Day on Monday. “I feel really comfortable with where I am and my body. Just being here the last month, continuing to get in the gym, get stronger, getting the hang of things with the guys, and just getting the flow and the chemistry. I’m really excited, really looking forward to the season.”

Sheppard appeared in just 52 games as a rookie, averaging 4.4 points in 12.6 minutes per outing. He was already expected to slide in as VanVleet’s backup in year two prior to the aforementioned injury. But now, he might just end up stepping in as the starting point guard on a team with title hopes. Training camp opened up this week, and Sheppard is already getting noticed. This sky hook runner in the lane over Durant’s outstretched arm should inspire some optimism within the Houston fanbase.

we SEE you @reed_sheppard 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/78d4u1vrom

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 1, 2025

Even without VanVleet, the unquestioned leader of the Rockets, Houston is still going to contend in the Western Conference. Durant is a walking efficient half-court offense. Center Alperen Şengün is poised for another breakout season after the 23-year-old made his first All-Star Game last season. Add in the likes of Amen Thompson (who will share some PG duties with Sheppard and is already a top 10 defender in the world ), Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and a handful of solid depth pieces, and there is still a world where the Rockets make a postseason run.

But a lot of that will come down to how quickly Sheppard adapts. He said at Media Day that he took his body more seriously during the offseason, particularly with his weight. For the first three weeks of the summer, he focused on nothing but defense. His shooting and basketball instincts are the known commodities, but he’s about to be thrust into a role where every aspect of his game needs to improve from last season.

“The first time I saw him and we played, he had like 10 shots in a row. From what I saw I was like, this guy gotta play. He’s ready.” Rockets center Clint Capela said of his new teammate. “I think it’s his time right now. We’re gonna need him. I’ve played with him and I can see that he has so much more potential, he’s gonna get even better the more he plays regular minutes.”

It’s that last line of Capela’s quote that really matters: more minutes. Sheppard needs a bunch of them, and he’s going to get them. Houston head coach Ime Udoka really doesn’t have any other options at this point, but a much-improved Sheppard might be all he really needs.

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