Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard has been arguably the best rookie in his class during the recently concluded NBA Las Vegas Summer League. He has been so good that, at one point, Mark Price gave him a shoutout.

The third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft averaged 20.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game on 50 percent shooting from the field.
Because of his superb performances, many are excited to see how he’ll fare with the Houston Rockets next season. And according to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, the former Kentucky Wildcat has more upside than his soon-to-be teammate Jalen Green.

“I think Reed is a higher upside player than Jalen Green, personally, at this point. That’s no shot to Jalen Green. I just think Reed’s passing and playmaking and feel is just world’s ahead of where Jalen Green is,” Vecenie said during a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast.
“Jalen has all the athleticism and separation ability and all that stuff, but the ability to make plays for your teammates and be an unselfish player, I don’t know, man,” he added.
Houston Rockets have a strong young core
The Houston Rockets will be competitive next season because they are deeper at the guard position with the selection of Reed Sheppard.

The 20-year-old combo guard will battle with Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Aaron Holiday, and Fred VanVleet for backcourt minutes next season.
With several options available, Ime Udoka has an interesting dilemma on how he’ll integrate Reed Sheppard into his nightly rotation. Perhaps he can have Sheppard partnered with Jalen Green on the backcourt due to their contrasting playstyles.