Second-year Rockets guard Reed Sheppard has been excellent in the 2025-26 season, and his team-high 27 points helped Houston storm back into the game during Friday’s close loss to the Denver Nuggets.
On Monday night in Phoenix, where Houston (10-4) resumed its schedule, the 21-year-old Kentucky product was rewarded with his first start of the season.
There is some roster context to consider, of course. Kevin Durant (personal reasons) is out for two games, and Tari Eason (right oblique strain) was lost earlier in the month to a multi-week injury. Veterans Fred VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith remain unavailable after offseason surgeries.
So, it’s not as if Sheppard is starting — at least not yet — for a full-strength team. Yet, the fact that Sheppard is starting alongside All-Star center Alperen Sengun and a trio of accomplished players in Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Josh Okogie shows that Udoka and the Rockets are taking the game (and its lineup decisions) quite seriously.
Sheppard did start three games very late in his 2024-25 rookie season, but those all came amid widespread roster absences, and two of them came in the final week — after the Rockets had already secured their playoff seed and had nothing left to play for. And in contrast to 2025-26, Sheppard was not a consistent rotation player as a rookie.
This time, the season is barely over a month old, and Sheppard is playing major minutes (and now starting) for a team that is looking to maintain its momentum after winning 10 times in its last 12 outings. With Durant also expected to miss Wednesday’s game at Golden State, there’s a clear path for Sheppard to start that Emirates NBA Cup 2025 contest, as well.
Drafted at No. 3 overall in the 2024 first round, Sheppard is averaging 13.6 points (50.7% FG, 48.8% on 3-pointers), 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in 23.9 minutes per game. Should that level of play prove sustainable as a starter, there’s certainly a valid argument that Udoka might consider starting Sheppard, even after Durant returns.
With four locked-in starters (when healthy and available) of Durant, Sengun, Thompson, and Smith Jr., Udoka has gone back and forth between Okogie and veteran center Steven Adams at the fifth slot.
Should Sheppard eventually get a look in that role, it could help Thompson with ball-handling duties while providing both players with considerable off-ball opportunities, as well.
Sheppard did start multiple games in the 2025-26 preseason, and Udoka indicated that he was under consideration for a starting role, at that time. His recent performances could be suggesting that he’s ready.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: As Rockets’ roster thins, Reed Sheppard earns first start of season
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
