The Rockets were quiet at the trade deadline. Why Reed Shepard can’t afford it

The Houston Rockets decided to wait for the trade deadlinedespite some glaring needs caused by injuries to Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, and their continued lack of outside shooting.

They also seemed to have some solutions available. Kevin Durant’s former teammate Tyus Jones (40% 3-point shooter over the past four seasons), Luke Kennard (44% career 3-point shooter), and veteran point guard Jose Alvarado were all moved last week. However, none landed in Houston.

So while general manager Raphael Stone commented last week that his Rockets are “not a development team,” they may now have no choice but to rely on the development of their second-year guard Reed Sheppard.

The Kentucky product may be Houston’s best, and perhaps only, chance recording the perimeter they need.

The problem is, Shepard has been as cold as his teammates lately. He’s shooting just 31% from the field over his last nine games, including a rough 20% from beyond the arc.

Still, the head coach Making Udoka he remains confident.

The Rockets coach called Sheppard a “great shooter” and said he will “break out” of this slump.

But can it still be called a ‘fall’? Zoom out even more, and Shepard is shooting just 38% from the field over his last 33 games – a large enough sample size to cause real concern.

While Stone believes the Rockets’ championship deadline limits their ability to spend time developing a young player like Shepard, Houston might be best off finding a middle ground. Without adding help from the outside, they will have to create it from within.

However, Shepard is still averaging just 24 minutes per game this season, a number that has dropped even further over the past month. There was a game last month in which Shepard scored 14 points to help in overtime against the Philadelphia 76ers, only for the guard to not see the floor at all in overtime.

That came just one game after Shepard scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Rockets erase a deficit in a win over the San Antonio Spurs, making his late-game usage all the more puzzling.

If Udoka believes Shepard can get out of this “slump,” then he should be given a chance.

Houston is currently attempting the second-fewest three-pointers in the league while also scoring a goal second least points in the last 15 games. And while they didn’t get that boost from the deadline, they could get it by bolstering their young scorer.

It would also help with spacing. Two of Houston’s top three players, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, are non-shooters, which has allowed the defense to sag on the perimeter and pack the paint lately. Shepard’s shooting could be the key that unlocks the Rockets’ desired spacing.

Durant even acknowledged as much, saying Shepard could “turn us into a different team” when he plays “aggressively and knocks down shots.”

“I feel like that’s what (Shepard’s) role is starting to turn into,” Durant said. “A guy who can handle, who can get loose and shoot threes, who can get us going. That’s a spark plug for us.”

And now that role should become even bigger.

Especially without Adams and his elite offensive rebounding ability. Without that, the Rockets have fewer second-chance opportunities and need to be even more efficient on the offensive end.

“Reed brings another dynamic, no question,” Udoka said. “We want him to shoot (those threes) every time to be aggressive … I think that opens things up for us.”

But Shepard knows he has flaws.

“I can’t just be a one-way player,” Shepard admitted. “I can’t just be an offensive threat. I have to be able to guard and help the team defensively as well.”

Especially when you play for a defensive coach like Udoka. But Shepard’s shooting is so necessary that the Rockets may have to live with some growing pains to find ways to keep him on the floor.

While this may not be a developmental team, this development could be the most important key for the Rockets down the road.