{"id":85696,"date":"2026-04-28T09:56:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/how-reed-sheppard-blocked-the-noise-of-a-disappointing-nba-start-to-earn-rockets-trust\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T09:56:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:56:47","slug":"how-reed-sheppard-blocked-the-noise-of-a-disappointing-nba-start-to-earn-rockets-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/how-reed-sheppard-blocked-the-noise-of-a-disappointing-nba-start-to-earn-rockets-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"How Reed Sheppard blocked the \u2018noise\u2019 of a disappointing NBA start to earn Rockets\u2019 trust"},"content":{"rendered":"


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For Reed Sheppard, basketball has provided lifelong lessons in self-trust.<\/p>\n

And one night earlier this season, it took Sheppard four minutes and 33 seconds to show that the faith he has always had in himself would produce different results in Year 2 than during his challenging rookie season.<\/p>\n

In an NBA Cup game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco the night after Thanksgiving, playing without future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant and center Steven Adams, the Rockets found themselves trailing by 10 in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Sheppard showed the impact of that confidence.<\/p>\n

Sheppard hit a floater to cut the deficit to eight. Then, after swiping the ball from Stephen Curry, he drained a 3. It was an eye-opening sequence, especially as the Rockets had needed Sheppard to enter Year 2 trusting himself and his shot. They needed him not to think.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest difference this year,\u201d ESPN analyst Tim Legler said after Sheppard got the Rockets within five points, \u201cis that he is anticipating the next action coming his way. \u2026 Most of it was an afterthought a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheppard grabbed three rebounds, hit another fadeaway and threw down a dunk to tie the score with 20 seconds left in the third. The Rockets would pull out a 104-100 win, with Sheppard scoring a career-high 31 points with nine rebounds and five assists.<\/p>\n

It was one of the first examples of Sheppard\u2019s evolution, growth that the Rockets not only anticipated, but also desperately needed. In 22 regular-season games with at least 30 minutes of playing time, he\u2019s averaged 19.5 points with 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals and five assists per game. The Rockets had a 9-3 record when Sheppard scored at least 20 points.<\/p>\n

It was a far cry from Sheppard\u2019s rookie season, which was sprinkled with inconsistent playing time, DNPs and scoring droughts. He played more than 20 minutes only five times. Some fans questioned whether Houston made the right decision in drafting him third overall. Yet he hesitated to lean into one of his best skills: shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough. It was different. I wasn\u2019t used to anything like that,\u201d Sheppard told The Athletic.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

But the difficulties of that season showed Sheppard his growth opportunities. He didn\u2019t want to prove his doubters wrong; he wanted to prove himself right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of it is just trust in yourself. I\u2019ve played basketball my whole life, and I\u2019ve been in moments that you dream of as a little kid,\u201d Sheppard said.<\/i> \u201cSo, now that I\u2019m here, it\u2019s like just have fun, trust in yourself and trust the work that you put in.\u201d<\/p>\n

After acquiring Durant in the offseason, expectations for the Rockets were high. But before the season started, point guard Fred VanVleet was ruled out after tearing his ACL.<\/p>\n

And suddenly, those big expectations landed \u2014 at least in part \u2014 on Sheppard\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n\n

For most of the season, Sheppard was able to handle the load. He played in all 82 games, starting 21. His 3-point shooting, that skill he knew could help Houston, improved in terms of percentage (33.8 in his rookie season to 39.4) and volume (2.7 attempts per game to 7.0). His scoring went from 4.4 points per game to 13.5. He was sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.<\/p>\n

But as Sheppard knows after a rough introduction to the postseason in his rookie season, the playoffs are a different beast. In the Rockets\u2019 first-round playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers this year, Sheppard has had to assume even more responsibility with Durant missing three of the series\u2019 four games.<\/p>\n

Sheppard saw Game 3 slip from his hands when LeBron James poked the ball away in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, only to have James hit a 3 that would send the game to OT, where the Lakers would win.<\/p>\n

Through the first three games of the Lakers series, Sheppard was 12-of-45 (.267) from the field, which included a scoreless Game 2, a flashback to his rookie struggles. In Game 4, he had 17 points, as many as he had in Games 1 and 3, but Sheppard was more efficient, shooting 50 percent from the field and 4 of 7 from 3-point range. The Rockets will need more of sophomore season Sheppard in Game 5 on Wednesday in Los Angeles if Houston has any hope of continuing the series.<\/p>\n

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REED SHEPPARD FROM DEEP \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n

His 4th three of the night!<\/p>\n

Rockets up 17 in Q3 in Game 4 \ud83c\udf7f pic.twitter.com\/lae2LFqDFB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Regardless of how this season ends, Sheppard, the son of two college hoop stars, has a solid support system \u2014 his parents.<\/p>\n

Jeff and Stacey (n\u00e9e Reed) met while playing basketball in Lexington, Ky. Jeff is a two-time national champion and 1998 Final Four Most Outstanding Player at the University of Kentucky. He played 18 games for the Atlanta Hawks in the 1998-99 season and then professionally in Italy. Stacey was a three-time All-SEC standout during her college days.<\/p>\n

Reed was a star player at North Laurel (Ky.) High School with expectations and pressure to perform at an incredibly high level for his school, community and his friends. After gaining national attention, he then took a step and played in the SEC at Kentucky for legendary coach John Calipari.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good thing is, he\u2019s had wonderful training his whole life. The noise may not have been as loud as it was his rookie year,\u201d Jeff Sheppard told The Athletic<\/i>. \u201cThe stage may not have been as big as it was on the NBA stage, the talent definitely has never been as good, but there\u2019s always been noise in Reed\u2019s life because he\u2019s the son of two Kentucky basketball players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Reed\u2019s transition to pro, Stacey spends time in Houston while Jeff tries to get to as many East Coast games as possible.<\/p>\n

Sheppard was Kentucky\u2019s highest pick since Karl-Anthony Towns went first in 2015. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray and Tyler Herro were All-Star guards drafted out of Kentucky during that time.<\/p>\n

There was a lot of curiosity surrounding Sheppard and what he could bring to Houston after he was selected with the third pick of the 2024 draft. He credited his parents for supporting him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve learned everything from them. They\u2019ve been a huge part of my journey to get here on and off the court,\u201d Reed said. \u201cI went to the gym with my dad to work out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember me and my mom traveling to all the travel ball games in different places and even talking basketball with her. I have just learned so much from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being alongside Reed for the start of his career means Jeff has had a front-row seat to what comes with having a son in the NBA.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a journey that parents of athletes go on,\u201d Jeff said. \u201cIt\u2019s some type of a journey. And it\u2019s a thrill. But oftentimes it\u2019s kind of like a roller coaster, wonderful highs, lots of lows, and sometimes you just gotta hold on and not try to throw up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great journey, and I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 10 minutes of play across three games against the Warriors in the first round of last year\u2019s playoffs, Sheppard was scoreless. He shot 0 of 3 and Houston was outscored by 26 when he played. The Rockets didn\u2019t play him at all in the most important game of the season \u2014 Game 7. They lost 103-89.<\/p>\n

After the challenges of Sheppard\u2019s rookie season, criticism grew.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people talking and a lot of noise, both positive and negative in that arena,\u201d Jeff said. \u201cHis journey prepared him for his rookie season in the NBA, but it always involved being able to play through victories and defeats, air balls and made shots and fouling out and not fouling out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge of not getting to play for the first time was different and unique. So now all of a sudden, a whole \u2018nother set of mental and emotional challenges are bombarding him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then news came of VanVleet\u2019s season-ending ACL injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knew when Fred went down, that more opportunity was there, obviously, but so many times, I think we just overanalyze different situations,\u201d Jeff said. \u201cWhen I think about Reed and his thought process \u2026 and we all overanalyze.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a 21-year-old kid that\u2019s living his dream and loving the opportunity to play basketball and going out there and trying to learn and develop and go win a ball game. As simple as that sounds, that\u2019s where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

But with no VanVleet, the Rockets needed to speed up Sheppard\u2019s development, and he had to tap into what he knew he had within. There was increased pressure from fans and media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not on social media, so I don\u2019t read all of the comments,\u201d Jeff said. \u201cI\u2019m not oblivious to articles that are written about him by any means, but I also don\u2019t get consumed with it. The story is either how great you are or how terrible you were. It\u2019s usually not in the middle. It\u2019s always that extreme.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing we can do about how stories are written. They\u2019re either written about the person that has this phenomenal finish, or sometimes this devastating loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheppard ignored what was being said and focused on the main thing. He spent most of his offseason in Houston getting ready for his second season. He worked with athletic trainer Brady Welsh, now the strength coach at Vanderbilt, and mental performance coach Jonathan Roche, who has been with Sheppard since his junior year of high school. Through Roche, Sheppard learned to shift his mindset to help him get back to the joy of basketball.<\/p>\n

Support not only came from Sheppard\u2019s inner circle, but from the Rockets organization. He also spent his summer with assistant coach Cam Hodges working on his game and getting stronger in the weight room.<\/p>\n

He was learning, regrouping and, most importantly, moving forward.<\/p>\n\n

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\"Houston<\/p>\n
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\n Sheppard shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range this season. (Troy Taormina \/ Imagn Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

On March 22, Sheppard came up big once again. After a rally by the Miami Heat to take a lead, he hit a floater with 12.7 seconds left to give Houston a 3-point lead to help the Rockets eventually win 123-122.<\/p>\n

Sheppard had 23 points, 14 assists, and no turnovers in 37 minutes. With that performance, he became the youngest player in Rockets history with at least 20 points, 10 assists and no turnovers in a game (21 years, 170 days).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put it in his hands a ton,\u201d Rockets coach Ime Udoka said after the game. \u201cYou know, they went zone a lot, so he\u2019s gonna get some of those open looks, but also delivered the ball well.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so, it\u2019s kind of picking the zone apart, making the right reads when he got inside, and taking the shots that were there for him. You can see him kind of growing up right in front of your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheppard was showing growth for the Rockets at the right time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI give credit to the team,\u201d Jeff said. \u201cWe are spiritual people. We give God the highest praise, and so he leads this team that involves us as parents. You start piecing together all of these members of this team, and then thankfully, you start introducing veteran players that are on the Rockets right now that have made an incredible impact on our son, Jeff Green leading the way. What a veteran. What a man. What a positive influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheppard\u2019s village also includes veteran teammates Aaron Holiday, Adams, VanVleet and Durant. The elder players have been sharing both on- and off-the-court advice and encouragement that both Reed and Jeff find to be incredibly meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loves Fred,\u201d Jeff said. \u201cFred has been a tremendous mentor, not just this season, but ever since he was drafted. Reed was really looking forward to playing with Fred.<\/p>\n

\u201cKD\u2019s words have been loud, but his example has been louder. It\u2019s been really cool to see Reed\u2019s development and how he is learning to continue to navigate through things as a young man.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even with the good nights, the noise and expectations will always be there. And Sheppard has been preparing for it for quite some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think sometimes it can be tough, but I think if you have people that you trust and that you love around you and stay true to yourself,\u201d Sheppard said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot that goes on, but I think the biggest thing is just trying to stay humble.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay grateful for every opportunity and just really kind of sinking into that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n