<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-bill-simmons-rips-reed-sheppard-awful-performance-key-role');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bill Simmons rips Rockets guard Reed Sheppard’s ‘awful’ performance in key role');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Bill-Simmons-rips-Reed-Sheppards-%E2%80%98awful-performance-in-key-role-for-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bill Simmons rips Rockets guard Reed Sheppard’s ‘awful’ performance in key role</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-22T11:00:42-07:00">October 22nd, 11:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-22T11:00:42-07:00">October 22nd, 11:00am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Thrust into the largest role of his young NBA career, Reed Sheppard showed that he was not ready for it in the Houston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-fans-wild-ending-kevin-durant-rockets-debut-thunder">Rockets’ season-opening loss</a> to the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><p>On Tuesday, Sheppard, who has become the sixth man and first true guard off the bench for Houston following Fred VanVleet’s ACL injury last month, looked utterly outmatched against the defending NBA champions.</p><p>In nearly 27:47 of action, Sehppard had 9 points, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, and went 3-for-11 from the field and 2-for-7 on 3-pointers. And on the defensive end, the 6-foot-2 guard couldn’t keep up with the Thunder, who specifically sought him out in their actions.</p><p>The performance was roundly criticized by fans and media members alike, and Bill Simmons, once a Sheppard believer, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzbJCb-wgzk&amp;t=556s" rel="noopener">was particularly blunt</a> in his analysis.</p><p>“He was awful,” Simmons said on his podcast. “We were thinking that maybe he could be the next Mark Price. He looked like Brent Price today…</p><p>“They need him to be, needless to say, way better than he was tonight because they actually need him. They need some sort of point guard, and if it’s not him, they’re going to have to go trade for somebody and make some moves. But he was relentlessly targeted on defense. He just got, I thought, demolished by [Cason] Wallace in a couple of points in this game. He would get heat-checky sometimes, and it was inappropriate. It was both he was playing terrible but also had a lot of confidence, which I didn’t mind, but it just was really rough.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Before Tuesday’s double-overtime loss, the 21-year-old Sheppard, who was drafted third overall last year, had played more than 27 minutes only four times, all of which, not coincidentally, were on the road and either a part of a back-to-back or late in the season right before the playoffs.</p><p>Now with VanVleet, who tore his ACL during a workout one month ago today, expected to miss the entire season, Sheppard is one of the only on-ball guards on the Rockets. To illustrate the point, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-jumbo-lineup-nearly-humbles-thunder-82-game-problem">Houston’s smallest starter</a> Tuesday was 6-foot-7 Amen Thompson. The only Rocket other than Sheppard shorter than that to see the floor in OKC was 6-foot-4 Josh Okogie.</p><p>For each of their next two games, the Rockets will be at home. On Friday, they host the Detroit Pistons before playing the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bill Simmons rips Rockets guard Reed Sheppard’s ‘awful’ performance in key role

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/reed-sheppard-prove-worth-rockets-after-fred-vanvleet-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Reed Sheppard to prove worth to Rockets after Fred VanVleet injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sheppard-drives.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Reed Sheppard to prove worth to Rockets after Fred VanVleet injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-22T14:45:07-07:00">September 22nd, 2:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-22T14:45:07-07:00">September 22nd, 2:45pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Monday, the Houston Rockets got a devastating injury update when it was revealed that starting point guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-fred-vanvleet-torn-acl-2025-26-season">Fred VanVleet had suffered</a> a torn ACL that could keep him out of the entire upcoming 2025-26 season. The news, first reported by NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, immediately hangs a cloud over what had been the most <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-houston-trade-targets-2025-26-nba-season">highly anticipated Rockets season</a> in at least half a decade after the offseason addition of Kevin Durant.</p><p>With VanVleet now <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1970215754697212375" rel="noopener">on the sidelines</a>, a lot of the attention will inevitably turn to rising second-year guard Reed Sheppard, the former number three overall pick out of Kentucky. Sheppard didn’t get a lot of playing time in his rookie season under head coach Ime Udoka, who prioritized defense above all else in his lineup configurations, an area in which Sheppard is not exactly a specialist.</p><p>However, with the Rockets now effectively without a point guard, Udoka will likely have no choice but to play Sheppard extended rotational minutes this season, even if he still may have some reservations about his ability to defend.</p><h2><b>How much can Reed Sheppard contribute?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Reed-Sheppard.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Two things that Reed Sheppard should be able to contribute immediately for the Rockets are perimeter shotmaking and the ability to run the offense smoothly. Sheppard flashed both of these capabilities in his time both in the Summer League as well as in limited playing time with the Rockets this year.</p><p>While there will be growing pains along the way, Sheppard has a team with some strong veteran talent, headlined by Durant, to help show him the ropes, and he also has plenty of defensive prowess around him to help cover for him on that end of the floor.</p><p>With VanVleet out for the year, the Rockets may have to lean more heavily on Durant to initiate offense than they had hoped, as opposed to simply relying on him as a halfcourt scoring weapon, the role in which he has thrived the most throughout his career.</p><p>However, if Sheppard comes out and shows an ability to orchestrate an effective offense while holding his own on defense, the Rockets’ plans for 2025-26 may not have to be too heavily altered.</p><p>Still, the VanVleet news is certainly a major bummer for a team that has done all the right things in their rebuild and finally pushed their chips to the center of the table this summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Reed Sheppard to prove worth to Rockets after Fred VanVleet injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/sneakers/rockets-reed-sheppard-releases-own-nike-gt-cut-3-colorway');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Reed Sheppard releases own Nike GT Cut 3 colorway');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Rockets-Reed-Sheppard-releasing-own-Nike-GT-Cut-3-colorway.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets’ Reed Sheppard releases own Nike GT Cut 3 colorway</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-11T11:02:30-07:00">July 11th, 11:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-11T11:02:50-07:00">July 11th, 11:02am</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have made massive moves this offseason, notably with their blockbuster signing of Kevin Durant with the simultaneous departure of young star Jalen Green. Still, the Rockets boast a young core of talented players, one of which has emerged as Kentucky standout Guard Reed Sheppard. Clearly, Nike has taken notice and gave Sheppard is own PE colorway of the Nike GT Cut 3 Turbo, available for purchase now.</p><p><i><b>Check our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers">Sneakers news</a> for more upcoming releases and breaking content!</b></i></p><p>Reed Sheppard played 52 games during his Rookie campaign last season, averaging 4.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 1.4 APG. While it wasn’t the breakout season he had hoped for, Sheppard grew as one of the league’s more consistent spot-up three shooters at 33.8%. There’s always room for improvement, but it’s clear that the ceiling for potential is high for Sheppard.</p><p>A wave of young players throughout the league, including <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-draft-news-cade-cunningham-inks-major-nike-deal-ahead-of-potentially-going-no-1">Pistons’ Cade Cunningham</a> and Timberwolves’ Rob Dillingham, have favored the Nike GT Cut 3 series as their preferred footwear options throughout the season. Just like the aforementioned names, Sheppard will take his turn debuting his own PE (player exclusive) colorway of the popular model.</p><h2>Nike GT Cut 3 Turbo (Reed Sheppard PE)</h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reed Sheppard Gets His Own Nike GT Cut 3 Turbo PE This July ❤️‍🔥 <a href="https://t.co/2eb1kHaT46">pic.twitter.com/2eb1kHaT46</a></p><p>— House of Heat° (@houseofheat) <a href="https://twitter.com/houseofheat/status/1936212653275296254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reed Sheppard x Nike GT Cut 3 Turbo 🌸<a href="https://t.co/3f2WCsNA3i">https://t.co/3f2WCsNA3i</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xprcr1Dhhs">pic.twitter.com/Xprcr1Dhhs</a></p><p>— JustFreshKicks (@JustFreshKicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustFreshKicks/status/1942585714379784471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>The official colorway comes in as <em>Platinum Violet/Black-White-Bright Crimson </em>for an ensemble that meshes perfectly with the Rockets’ uniform scheme. The GT Cut 3 Turbo is the latest in Nike’s Basketball innovation, featuring a new ribbed synthetic shell, updated tongue padding, and use of the ZoomX midsole cushioning. The shoes are comfortable, while still remaining firm and maximizing energy return for the player.</p></figure><p>Reed Sheppard’s PE edition will consist of a Platinum Violet base with hits of Bright Crimson on the Nike Swoosh, ZoomX plate, and tongue logos. The shoes will also feature finer details such as a speckled midsole and “REED” stitched onto the inside tongue, making these a truly clean PE and the first of hopefully many for the Rockets’ young prospect.</p><p>The Nike GT Cut 3 Turbo “Reed Sheppard” released on July 7, 2025 for a retail tag of $210, making this one of Nike’s more expensive performance basketball models. The colorway is now available via <a href="https://www.nike.com/t/gt-cut-3-turbo-basketball-shoes-Oy26Wabw/HV9918-001">Nike in full sizing</a>, so don’t miss out on your chance to grab a pair!</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Reed Sheppard releases own Nike GT Cut 3 colorway

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-playing-kevin-durant-crazy-reed-sheppard');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why playing with Kevin Durant will be ‘crazy’ for Rockets’ Reed Sheppard');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sheppard-vs-the-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why playing with Kevin Durant will be ‘crazy’ for Rockets’ Reed Sheppard</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-10T13:55:41-07:00">July 10th, 1:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-10T13:55:41-07:00">July 10th, 1:55pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Earlier this offseason, the Houston Rockets pushed their chips to the center of the table by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-kevin-durant-calls-out-fans-revelation-increase-injuries">trading for Kevin Durant</a> of the Phoenix Suns, giving up a package centered around Jalen Green in the process. The move signaled that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/kevin-durant-bold-predictions-after-going-to-rockets-in-historic-7-team-trade">Rockets are all-in</a> on competing for an NBA championship in the near future after finishing second in the Western Conference this past season.</p><p>With their guard depth now compromised due to the departure of Green, the Rockets may be leaning more heavily on second year player Reed Sheppard, who they drafted number three overall out of Kentucky in 2024.</p><p>Recently, Sheppard stopped by ESPN’s NBA Today set at the Summer League in Las Vegas and spoke on what <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRfOEvjZ-M4&amp;t=359s" rel="noopener">his reaction was</a> when he heard that his team was acquiring Durant.</p><p>“Obviously when I saw it, it was really cool for me. I grew up watching him my whole life, so it’s kind of crazy now that I’m going to be playing with him. But he’s a great scorer, he really can do anything, he’s a great winner, so it’s going to be really fun. I’m really excited to play with him,” said Sheppard, per NBA on ESPN on YouTube.</p><h2><b>Can Reed Sheppard contribute?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Reed-Sheppard.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In his rookie season, Reed Sheppard didn’t see much consistent playing time under head coach Ime Udoka, who opted to trot out a more defensive-focused lineup that helped the Rockets net themselves the number two seed.</p><p>However, Sheppard might be the second best pure jump shooter on the roster behind Durant, and he also flashed some playmaking ability during his time at Kentucky, which could open the door for him to see some backup point guard minutes this year behind Fred VanVleet.</p><p>This will be especially needed since the Rockets lost a good bit of scoring punch and perimeter play by giving up both Green and Dillon Brooks in the Durant trade as well as Cam Whitmore later on in the offseason.</p><p>If Sheppard is able to step up in rotational minutes this year, the Rockets could truly be a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why playing with Kevin Durant will be ‘crazy’ for Rockets’ Reed Sheppard

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-reed-sheppard-issued-challenge-from-gm-entering-year-2');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Reed Sheppard issued challenge from GM entering Year 2');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Reed-Sheppard-issued-challenge-from-GM-entering-Year-2.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: Jonathan Hui</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets’ Reed Sheppard issued challenge from GM entering Year 2</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-07T13:23:49-07:00">July 7th, 1:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-07T13:23:49-07:00">July 7th, 1:23pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.spiering.3" rel="facebook">Chris Spiering</a>Chris Spiering graduated from the University of San Diego with a Communication Studies Degree. He spent his final year as the Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris manages the betting team at ClutchPoints and contributes about the NFL, MLB, and NBA, but he follows most sports, including NCAA Basketball. Chris also covers San Diego State men's basketball for East Village Times.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets are going to be one of the teams to watch for next season. The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/kevin-durant-trade-grades-7-teams-blockbuster"> trade for Kevin Durant</a> could potentially put them over the top as the best team in the Western Conference next season.</p><p>Rockets’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlrEXKmD7Ic" rel="noopener">general manager Rafael Stone</a> recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-ime-udoka-rafael-stone-break-silence-kevin-durant-trade" rel="noopener">spoke to the media about Durant</a>.</p><p>“Kevin impacts the game on both ends of the court and is one of the most efficient scorers in the history of basketball,” said Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone. “We liked the growth our team showed last season and believe Kevin’s skill set will integrate seamlessly.”</p><p>The Rockets are very deep, despite containing one of the best of all time. Alperen Sengun is a rising star in the NBA and is already considered one of the best big men in the league. Amen Thompson is also a rising star and has proved his value on the defensive end time and time again for Houston last year. Not to mention, former <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-fred-vanvleet-sign-50-million-contract-extension">NBA champ Fred VanVleet</a> is running the show at point guard.</p><p>Another guard on the roster, Reed Sheppard, is expected to continue to grow as well. Stone shared a quick challenge during that interview with the media on Sheppard.</p><p>“Reed (Sheppard) is just going to have to be real good for us, period.”</p><p>Sheppard is entering Year 2. The Kentucky product averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in his rookie season. He appeared in 52 games and started three, but has a very small sample size, averaging only 12.6 minutes per contest.</p><p>Stone believes Sheppard will step up and be a major contributor for the Rockets. Sheppard had his moment late in the season against the Los Angeles Clippers when he scored 20 points on 6-10 shooting from three-point range. He followed it up with 14 points against the Los Angeles Lakers the following game and was 4-8 from deep. It was only two games, but scoring 34 points against two playoff teams is a good sign moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.0	2.7	4.3	0.3	1.7

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.0	2.7	4.3	0.3	1.7

Reed Sheppard

Latest Reed Sheppard News

Bill Simmons rips Rockets guard Reed Sheppard’s ‘awful’ performance in key role

Reed Sheppard to prove worth to Rockets after Fred VanVleet injury

Rockets’ Reed Sheppard releases own Nike GT Cut 3 colorway

Why playing with Kevin Durant will be ‘crazy’ for Rockets’ Reed Sheppard

Rockets’ Reed Sheppard issued challenge from GM entering Year 2

Reed
Sheppard