How Critical Is Reed Sheppard's Growth For The Rockets?

The summer projects to be somewhat of a training camp for the young players on the Houston Rockets. The front office is banking on improvements across the board from their top young players, relying on their growth to support the play of impact veterans like Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet, and Steven Adams.

Reed Sheppard is one of the young players the Rockets are hoping takes a major leap next season. After his first season of getting consistent minutes, there's plenty of room to grow for Sheppard.

Sheppard's peers are nearing what they'll be for the rest of their careers. They aren't necessarily hitting their peak, but they are establishing roles and skill sets that will likely be their bread-and-butter in the NBA.

Amen Thompson's elite athleticism and defense will have him featured on top defenses throughout his career, Tari Eason is an elite rebounding threat with chaos-causing defensive abilities, Jabari Smith Jr. is a high-volume three-point shooter with increasing mid-range confidence, and Alperen Şengün is a low post scorer with strong passing ability.

These players may get better at playing their roles before they hit their peak, but these roles are starting to develop as their limits become more apparant the longer their careers continue.

Sheppard is in a situation where his best role has yet to be discovered. This offseason may be an important one for him to establish a niche in the NBA.

Currently, his role is a spark plug shooter off the bench with an ability to handle the ball and above-average passing ability. He has strong qualities for a reserve guard, and he can also slot in with the starting lineup to help space the floor. He earned many opportunities to start this season after VanVleet's injury.

VanVleet has been a huge part of Sheppard's development, helping him understand how to best make an impact as a smaller guard. However, Sheppard hasn't yet developed the elite ball security that helped Houston's offense stay efficient under VanVleet's command.

Ball security is the key for Sheppard, and the ability to run simple sets well. VanVleet has strong rapport with Şengün in the pick-and-roll, creating efficient offense by helping Şengün get the ball in more advantageous spots. Durant could have benefitted from the same skill, and Sheppard must soon find a way to adopt that skill for himself.

Sheppard is the heir apparant to VanVleet whenever the veteran guard calls it a career, assuming he stays with the Rockets until that point. There may come a time where VanVleet's biggest impact comes as a reserve, and the Rockets will need a starter ready at that point. Sheppard gives the Rockets the best chance at having a homegrown talent fit that role, but only if he can make a leap in offseasons for the next few years.

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