Reed Sheppard

The 2024 No. 3 overall pick was overlooked as a rookie. The Rockets prioritized winning over developmental minutes and made a surprise leap to the top of the Western Conference playoff picture. However, Houston lost to Golden State in the first round as a No. 2 seed, prompting dramatic changes this offseason. The Rockets shipped Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to Phoenix in a package deal to land Kevin Durant. They also sent Cam Whitmore to Washington for draft capital, signed Fred VanVleet to a multi-year extension and added Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela in free agency. VanVleet struggled with efficiency (37.8 percent overall) last season, but the team's win-loss record (41-19) with him available spoke for itself. With three rotation players, including two starters and the team's 2024-25 leading scorer, out of the picture, Sheppard should have a clearer path to consistent minutes in Year 2. The most significant addition to replace the trio of departures was Durant, who has missed fewer than 20 regular-season games only once in the past five seasons. Plus, VanVleet has made more than 70 regular-season appearances only twice in nine years. Sheppard is an obvious option for more playing time and usage when those situations arrive, but he'll have to earn everything. Veteran Aaron Holiday will be Sheppard's primary competition for backup backcourt duties, but the Kentucky product will also face stiff competition for minutes and usage from reserve wings like Jabari Smith, Tari Eason, Josh Okogie and Jeff Green, assuming Finney-Smith rounds out the starting five with VanVleet, Durant, Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun. The only thing left for Sheppard to do is prove himself at the highest level. He starred in the G League last season, averaging 30.7 points, 7.3 assists and 2.7 steals while shooting 40.5 percent from deep across three appearances. He dominated lesser competition again at Summer League, totaling 46 points and eight steals in two contests before being shut down. Sheppard played at least 20 minutes in only five NBA games as a rookie, but he posted promising results, averaging 16 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 steals. Given his upside, Sheppard will probably go higher than his ADP in most drafts, and there's no reason he should fall past pick 150, even if there's a chance he's not part of the regular rotation to open the campaign. Read Past Outlooks