He's getting called up simply to practice and be around the team, minutes or no minutes. Vipers don't play for a week, he can be sent back down after the Nuggets game.
With the Rockets getting this extra practice day by skipping their Atlanta game, maybe Sheppard will have shown something in practice and be back out there. But I'm not holding my breath or worried if it doesn't happen.
Many people think everybody in this draft should be added at least 10 spots in their positions in a normal draft. If that's true, Reed picked in the 10-15 range in a typical draft would be expected. But a lot of mid-FRPs end up to be good starters in the NBA. John Stockton was picked 16th, and he's smaller and less athletic than Reed Sheppard. I think the physical limitations are a bit overblown. If he has the competitive mentality and the skills, he can still excel.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said he wanted Sheppard to have a chance to run an offense and be more aggressive in his shot taking. “I would say reps are hard to come by in short minute stints,” Udoka said. “You’re not going to get those looks and what you’re used to getting your whole life, obviously, in high school and Kentucky, not getting the same amount of minutes or reps. And so you can’t live or die on making one or two shots a game. And so for us, when we went with the more veteran lineup, we decided to get him some live action. … But more so than confidence of missing shots, was taking the shots and he passed up some and we wanted to get this aggressive mindset back.” In three games played with the Vipers, Sheppard directed the offense as the primary ball handler. He averaged 35.5 minutes, 30.7 points, 8.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds on 46.3% shooting. Almost half of his field goals were 3-pointers (5.0 makes per game) and he shot 40.5% behind the arc, though he also showcased the mid-range game that he cultivated in high school and college. “Yeah, he had it going. First game in the G, showing he don’t belong there,” Rockets forward Dillon Brooks said. “I think it was Steve-O (Steven Adams) that first brought it up. Forty-nine points is crazy, and then complimenting (with 19 and 24 points) after that builds confidence when he comes back up here. Not to be shy, let shots fly and play your game.” “A lot of them reached out after that first game, so it was really cool kind of hearing from them after that game and staying in touch with them throughout the week and them checking on me, saying good job, all this stuff,” Sheppard said. “And then that also gave me more confidence, knowing that they’re watching and pulling for me as well.” Udoka said what stood out to him about Sheppard’s 49-point game was that, “It wasn’t forced, and he wasn’t being selfish.” Overall, Udoka said he liked what he saw from Sheppard in the G League and hoped the rookie could continue that with the Rockets. “Aggressiveness, confidence, being more assertive in certain ways offensively,” Udoka said. “Like I said, he needed the reps to run the show and hunt his shots, and then take on some defensive challenges. So kind of all of the above, but more so just continuity from how well he played. Like I said and we saw with Cam (Whitmore), a lot of times those guys are stagnant, not getting a lot of minutes. So you’re coming in here a little bit rusty, as expected, but when you get the live reps you kind of hit the ground running.” The toughest adjustment for Sheppard to make in the NBA has appeared to be the game’s physicality. The Rockets switch almost every action on defense, and opponents were using that to create size advantages and pick on the 6-foot-3 Sheppard. Sheppard said that although the pace of an NBA game is also different than in the G League, he found that playing for longer stretches with the Vipers helped him get into a rhythm. “The G league still has really, really good players and really good athletes. So it’s not that big of a difference,” he said. “The pace, obviously, everything is a little different, but nothing crazy. Overall, it was a great week of playing with new teammates and learning new things and just learning things about myself.” The Vipers' next game isn’t until Friday. The Rockets are scheduled to play four games in six days this week, starting with Monday’s home game against the Grizzlies followed by a three-city road trip with a back-to-back in Denver and Sacramento on Wednesday and Thursday and a game in Portland on Saturday. Udoka said it is “to be determined” whether Sheppard will rejoin the Vipers in the imminent future. Sheppard said he did not view his G League assignment as a demotion, but as an opportunity. “I definitely enjoyed it,” he said. “I feel a lot better. My body feels a lot better. Mentally, I feel a lot better. So this week was unbelievable.”
According to reports Sheppard has been keeping up with the starter in practice. And given his performance in the G-League, there’s clearly a mental block causing him to play like Jerry Lin in the NBA. Maybe he needs a couple of baby momas or a hump sesh with Josh Christopher to get his confidence going.
Nonsense, there's also this guy I hope Sheppard one day gets that "always re-stomp the groin" confidence
He looked really good in the G league. He not only scored but was also efficient and got his teammates involved. I think it’s just a mental thing that he will overcome after getting more minutes. Reed sometimes looks like a deer caught in headlights during games for some reason. Even during garbage time against third stringers
Cal had been losing in the tournament with bonfire pro talent for YEARS! The Reed & Dillingham bench decision was just icing on a very long list of things that Cal had screwed up.
I think most teams would have given Reed a bit more run and allowed for some mistakes rather than pulling him after a missed shot or whatever .... Ime is more concerned with winning games than developing anyone. You don't see them running many plays for Reed to get him open looks .... or screens off the ball. He's just standing at the 3 point line waiting .... That's why FVV gets so many minutes even if he shoots like ass. That's why Amen see's most of his minutes as a forward .... That's why they keep bringing Tari back before he's healthy. Ime has no room for errors, just wins. I think it might be a little short sighted .... Don't get me wrong, I like the winning and being the #2 seed is fantastic ... but this team is more about tomorrow than today with all their youth, I'd like to see a middle ground between development & win at all costs.
I'd like to see Reed getting at least 15 mins per game and being allowed to be the PG and initiator most of the time he's on the floor. I think if they had done this from the beginning and empowering him he'd be further a long by now, but I'm not mad at the way Ime has handled things. In the long run hopefully it will be for the better. Reed playing at his highest level is A LOT better than Holiday and I think Ime realizes that. Holiday isn't going to take this team to another level. Reed getting better and reaching his potential WILL put this team into a different stratosphere. Hopefully Ime was able to learn somethings from Reed's gleague stint also. There's been some bad takes in here about Reed's defense. Yes there have been times teams have gone after him, however he didn't lose his rotation spot due to his defense. By every defensive measure Reed has been a better defender than Holiday. His defense hasn't been a huge issue. The issue is his offense has been horrendous and he's not THAT good of a defender where he can play with such bad offense.
Vanessa with the clutch question: A LOT OF PEOPLE don't necessarily believe in the G League but YOU seem to have a great attitude about it and made it fun for yourself.
