Reed Sheppard reportedly set to take on 'vastly expanded role' in year two with Rockets

Apr 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) moves the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Reed Sheppard‘s rookie season with the Houston Rockets didn’t go as planned. Despite being taken with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, he was reduced to a severely limited role as a rookie on a team with playoff aspirations.

That role is expected to change as he enters his second offseason as a professional hooper.

“As the coaching staff ponders changes and improvements for next season, the role of guard Reed Sheppard has come to the forefront,” The Athletic’s Kelly Iko wrote Tuesday. “Last season’s No. 3 pick in the draft, is slated for a vastly expanded role, team sources said, citing Sheppard’s floor spacing and IQ as much-needed qualities for a Rockets team that struggled in the halfcourt.”

After winning National Freshman of the Year during his lone season at Kentucky in 2023-24, Sheppard appeared in just 52 games (three as a starter) for the Rockets. He averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 12.6 minutes per outing while shooting just 35.1 percent from the field. Head coach Ime Udoka gave the 6-foot-3 guard a longer leash to begin the season, but quickly yanked it in as Houston settled on a rotation and shot up the Western Conference standings.

There were some moments of brilliance sprinkled throughout Sheppard’s 2024-25 campaign. In his three starts, he averaged 19.7 points per contest, including a season-high 25 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder — now in the NBA Finals — back on March 3. The Kentucky native finished with six double-figure scoring games and 10 games with at least three assists. During a brief stint in the G League for Houston’s Grand Valley Vipers, he earned Player of the Week honors for his excellent three-game stretch.

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Sheppard was clearly too good for the G League, but just not good enough to steal minutes on a team that finished 52-30 and second in the West. Will that change in 2025-26? In his article, Iko states the expectation is that starting point guard Fred VanVleet will return to Houston. Shooting guard Jalen Green, only 23 years old, is signed to a long-term deal and is coming off arguably his best season yet. Is a trade on the table this offseason for Houston? Could the front office move pieces around to give Sheppard an opportunity, or will he be included in any potential trade for a superstar, someone like Devin Booker?

This isn’t a super uncommon situation for Sheppard to be in. In fact, his former Kentucky teammate, Rob Dillingham, faced a near-identical scenario in his rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. As the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Dillingham averaged just 4.5 points in 10.5 minutes per outing across 49 games played in 2024-25 for a Minnesota team that made it to the Western Conference Finals. The Wolves could certainly use more ball handlers in the rotation moving forward, and Dillingham fits the bill. He could also be in line for an expanded role in 20252-6.

Sheppard and Dillingham are anything but “busts” at this stage — they both just happened to land in awkward situations. Most lottery picks are immediately given unlimited minutes on bad teams. These two were tossed onto established teams gifted unusual amounts of draft luck. But neither player has turned 21 years old yet. The future is still very bright. The lights could begin to shine as soon as next season.