Rockets GM makes eye-opening Reed Sheppard admission amid NBA Draft

06/27/2024 01:42 AM

The Houston Rockets were a team to watch for this year’s draft; they made a trade on Tuesday to try and position themselves better for a potential Kevin Durant trade, and it looks as though they’ll be taking their rebuilding project to the next level. But on draft night, the Rockets were surprisingly quiet. They held on to the third overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft and selected Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard to add yet another blue-chip prospect to their stockpile of impressive youngsters.

Drafting Sheppard, however, seems to be what the Rockets’ plan was all along. General manager Rafael Stone revealed to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that the Rockets saw Sheppard as the best prospect of the 2024 NBA Draft class. Stone added that, had the Atlanta Hawks or Washington Wizards taken Sheppard, that was when they would have tried to trade the pick.

This is definitely an interesting turn of events, as Reed Sheppard, despite being widely mocked to go third, wasn’t exactly seen as a superior prospect to either Zaccharie Risacher or Alex Sarr. Sheppard profiles as more of a high-level support player, as he does his damage off catch and shoot opportunities, but his tantalizing athleticism and work ethic has clearly convinced the Rockets that he could emerge as a future star.

Nonetheless, drafting Sheppard doesn’t mean the end of the Rockets’ quest to add a star to help their bid to contend for a playoff spot — or even a championship — take off. As long as the Rockets don’t sign Sheppard yet (prior to the draft pick signing deadline of course), then they could still trade his draft rights should an acceptable trade emerge.

Rockets’ young core is ready for take off

The debate among Rockets fans recently revolves around the microwave versus marinate discourse. The Rockets front office appears to be ready to microwave the roster and expedite their contending timeline, while some fans believe that they have the youngsters on the roster who will emerge as stars, and they only need a bit more time to marinate before they take over the league.

Alperen Sengun was very impressive last season, functioning as an all-around offensive hub while being one of the best stat-sheet stuffers at his position. Jalen Green figured out his efficiency woes in the final two months of last season, blossoming into one of the most exciting scorers in the association. Meanwhile, Amen Thompson turned heads with the way he stepped up in Sengun’s absence, emerging as a disruptive two-way force who is also one of the best rebounders in the association.

This isn’t even without going into Jabari Smith Jr., a floor-spacing defender who improved massively in year two, Cam Whitmore, a dynamic scorer who can work on his playmaking, and Tari Eason, an oft-injured forward who can jump out of the building. Adding Reed Sheppard to this core of prospects only serves as further evidence as to just how much young talent the the Rockets have on the roster.

But will there be enough minutes for all of those players to develop? Having many talented players is rarely a bad thing in the NBA, but there are only 240 minutes to go around in a single game. A lack of playing time could hinder the development of some players. Thus, a consolidation trade could be what’s best for everyone involved. The next few days should determine whether a consolidation trade for the star player the Rockets so desire becomes available.

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