Reed Sheppard continues to impress in new starting role for Rockets

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Mar 23, 2026 - 01:30
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Reed Sheppard continues to impress in new starting role for Rockets

For the second straight game, Reed Sheppard gave the Houston Rockets another big performance as a starter.

With Tari Eason struggling through one of the worst shooting slumps of his career, head coach Ime Udoka opted to move Sheppard into the starting lineup for the first time this season with everyone healthy. After the second-year guard helped the Rockets snap an 11-game win streak for the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, he continued that momentum with one of his best games of the season in Houston's win over the Miami Heat on Saturday.

Sheppard's big night

On a night that Kevin Durant rightfully got most of the attention for passing Michael Jordan to move into fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, Sheppard quietly paced Houston's offense as its lead facilitator.

The former Kentucky standout finished with 23 points and 14 assists, just his second double-double of the season after his previous career-high of 10 assists on March 2. Even better, Sheppard also recorded 0 turnovers, a testament to how much he's grown as a playmaker. The Rockets finished with 31 assists as a team, meaning he was responsible for almost half of the team's passing production.

Sheppard had no problem scoring within the flow of Houston's offense while operating as its lead playmaker, as he shot an efficient 8-for-12 from the field in his fifth straight game with at least 10 points, and it was the 18th time in his last 20 games that he's scored that many points. He hit five three-pointers, tied for the team lead with Durant in his third straight game with three made three-pointers.The second-year guard also applied plenty of pressure to Miami's ballhandlers, racking up four steals. All in all, it was an all-around impressive display from Sheppard, who was a game-high plus-17 in his 36 minutes. Over the last two games, the Rockets are a plus-40 in his minutes.

Sheppard's ascent into the starting lineup has been a long time coming, and it's one that Houston fans have been really clamoring for ever since the All-Star break. The Rockets have now come up with two big wins after a demoralizing two-game skid against the Lakers, and the second-year guard has made a great case for himself to stick around in Houston's starting five heading into the home stretch.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Reed Sheppard continues to impress for Houston Rockets as a starter

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