Will Houston Rockets SINK Without Alperen Sengun Or Can Reed Sheppard Help SAVE The Offense?

25 comments

1. I love Reed’s game (when it’s good) but the problem is he’s inconsistent & also your savior on offense cannot be a liability defensively, we’re already Witnessing this with sengun

2. Yes, Ime needs to extend his leash on Reed! Everybody makes mistakes, even the stars!!

3. ROCKETS RECORD

   With Sengun: 18-10
   Without Sengun: 4-1

4. Bro we stay loosing to good teams tho 😕

5. STOP TRYING TO SELL US A GARBAGE PLAYER LIKE REED, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! Even the worst players on the worst teams in the NBA are setting career records against him on both sides of the floor in every game, and this is literally killing the Rockets!

6. The Suns fans should be angry at management not a former player but that's not the way most fans react. They watch the game and focus on the players in cases like this . As far as Sheppard goes, he just gets better when used more, it is as simple as that. I know it can cost games playing a young player but the more you play him the more games he can play for you at a high level. I could see being tentative about playing him if you might miss the playoffs but that's not the Rocket's situation. Maybe Udoka is worried about positioning in the playoffs, I don't know. Maybe since some of our players are older it's a must win this season mentality. I guess Udoka may worry about putting too much on Reed's plate all at once but he has, after a few rough games, always figured it out and made a jump. I do see Reed as being hard to stomach at times for a defensive coach but his defense isn't, it's just unconventional. I am hoping Reed comes out of this stretch without Sengun as a player Udoka has more confidence in. I'm really hoping that over the next couple of weeks we learn to move the ball better and get the players moving as well. In my opinion that's the way to get the most out of this team's talent when Sengun isn't on the floor. One thing I'm going to be watching is how well Tari plays. I'm on the fence on what to do about him, but how he fits in when Sengun and KD are off the floor may go a long way in convincing me he needs to stay on the team. My overall new year report card from me is that I really thought they would be a little better than this. I think they are still looking for an identity, maybe if Reed takes on a greater role that can push them in one way or another. Ultimately, I think the Sengun hub will be their go to style but I think it needs refinement. We still need better ball movement and player movement.

7. If yall think Reed can replace Sengun in the slightest this season, yall should go back to sleep. Reed keeps cutting his own dribble. He cant get past defender and not ready to handle on ball pressure. He is definitely valuable for the Rockets but not as a playmaker this season. Dont you be coming back here after he post 7 assists against a soft defender either. I endure enough Houstonian stupidity on a daily basis.

8. I think KD was baited by the media to vent his personal grievance against his previous team. From what I read, KD is active on social media, so he probably read some ugly things posted about him by disappointed Suns fans. While I don't blame KD for being honest and direct, he could have shut down the trolls by ignoring them.

9. Udoka is not a good offensive coach. Jabari is a 6'11 shooting that is most of the time on the floor with KD and Sengun. He gets mismatches all the time but the Rockets cant cap on it.

10. Sadly it will be a struggle for this team to generate offense without Sengun. They struggle to inbound the ball with him. 🤣

11. I just remember being super frustrated at Reed in this last game against the suns, for his stupid turnovers. I remember yelling at my tv because of him lol.

12. Reed Shepard is at time unplayable due to his poor defense. He is basically a cone on defense at times

13. good show as always. I was too pessimist about Reed bc he was like a too scared kid. I am a bit more optimistic. He needs a lot to learn on the road tbh. I hope he increases his awareness on the floor.

14. I think Houston going to have a lot of turnovers against the blazers without alp

15. Oh man, I’m really hoping for a speedy recovery for Sengun. He brings so much energy, toughness, and offensive fire to this team. Without him, the playmaking has really struggled. Hopefully either Amen or Sheppard can step up and make a real difference. It’ll be interesting to see how Ime handles things with Durant also out. These next four games are going to be very interesting. Miss you big time El Turco.
    
    As usual keep up the awesome work Jackson.

    Reply

16. I Just wish to have the chance to see the same line up for 5/6 days, with no more injuryes. It's non stop these season so far

17. KD is a hooping guru. 😇

18. I said the same thing about Ime Udoka and the Reed Sheppard minutes on my channel… You can’t keep pulling him for Aaron Holiday after a bad stretch, he HAS to be able to play through it

19. If they have to keep playing KD for these minutes just to win against teams on a b2b and bottom feeders already, this wont end well.

    Cool and all kd hit game winner, but offense stilted as all hell and you cant expect kd to keep this up at 37-38

20. This is your daily reminder that rockets somehow picked Sheppard over Stephon Castle.

21. My stance on Reed is that unless there's a pending trade, this roster has no choice but to use him. So, they might as well act that way.

22. Ah yes, the Reed haters are back at it.

    Reed Sheppard (2025–26, through 33 games): 25.7 MPG, 13.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG on 45.3% FG, 41.4% 3P (2.5 3PM on 6.2 3PA), 78.0% FT (58.8% TS).

    He’s top-10 in the NBA in deflections per game (3.9) and top-5 in total deflections (129), which is a strong proxy for anticipation, hand activity, and consistently being in the right lanes. Pair that with 1.5 steals per game and a 3.0 steal percentage, and you’re looking at real, repeatable defensive playmaking—creating extra possessions without gambling himself out of the play. Sheppard is already impacting possessions with early reads, quick hands, and sharp rotations. He’s also showing uncommon “guard stock” production (steals and blocks), which hints at good timing and vertical contest instincts—not just reaching. The result is a smaller guard who can be targeted for size, but is still valuable on defense because he blows up actions before the mismatch ever becomes clean.

    Did I mention he is only 21???

23. Watched locked on suns and Ben was heated over KD's comments and was confused. Didn't think KD really said anything wrong and handled the question well. Hella suns fans bootyhurt but was a valid response from KD imo

24. Nah I'm not playing Reed a lot cant guard nobody at all I would consider holiday more than reed

25. Reeds not that guy