Reed Shepard’s latest achievement puts him in Larry Bird territory
The Houston Rockets‘ Monday night’s contest against the Washington Wizards proved to be more difficult than expected, especially with The Wizards seem to want to lose games intentionally to get better lottery odds. The Rockets ended up winning by just five points, 123-118, and had to overcome the early exit of Amen Thompson, who left just four minutes into the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
Houston’s depth was already shaky enough as it is, and Thompson’s early departure only made things worse for the team. But when a man falls, there is an opportunity for someone to step up, and that’s exactly what it is Reed Sheppard did.
Shepard didn’t have the best shooting nights; he was 7-18 from the field and just 4-11 from beyond the arc. But the Rockets more than made up for it with their defensive disruption, playmaking and stats.
He swung the ball six times on the night, blocked two shots, recorded 10 digs and hauled in seven boards while going fair fourth sophomore in NBA history to record at least 15 points, five rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks in a single game, joining Larry Bird, Alvin Robertson and Alexander Volkov as the only players to do so, according to StatMuse.
Reed Sheppard impressed the Rockets brass
The Rockets’ fighting identity is built on grit and defense, and Sheppard seems to be the antithesis of that identity, as he tends to play a more free-flowing style and isn’t the most impactful on defense, regardless of stealing numbers. But Sheppard is stepping up on that end of the floor, and this will be key for him to earn more minutes under head coach Ime Udoka.
With Thompson facing a potential multi-game absence with an ankle problem, Shepard could be in for a nice finish to the 2025-26 campaign.
2026-03-03 04:22:00
