Feb. 16, 2026, 4:17 p.m. CT
With averages of 12.7 points (38.7% on 3-pointers) and 3.0 assists in 24.7 minutes, second-year guard Reed Sheppard is already a very effective player on offense for the 2025-26 Houston Rockets.
But defensively, it’s more of a challenge for the 21-year-old, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 182 pounds. Many players he’s tasked with guarding or switching onto are older, larger, and known for a physical presence.
At All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, where the Kentucky product competed in the NBA’s Rising Stars challenge, Sheppard identified “defensively being more physical” as a priority in his sophomore season.
When asked about his propensity for swipe-down steals, Sheppard elaborated:
I’ve always had the swiping down, but the part I had to get better at is the bumps before. Being physical, using your chest and trying to bump them, and then swipe down. As far as that goes, just continuing to work on it and continuing to get better defensively.
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Sheppard is averaging 1.4 steals per game, which easily leads the Rockets on a per-minute basis among rotation players.
But timing that swipe-down move is essential, as is avoiding cheap fouls that can unnecessarily put opponents at the free-throw line.
After averaging just 22.6 minutes per game in January, Sheppard is back up to 25.5 in February. That could perhaps signal that head coach Ime Udoka, long known as a defensive tactician, is seeing signs of progress.
Sheppard and the Rockets (33-20, No. 4 in Western Conference standings) will look to build on that when their 2026 All-Star break ends later this week. In a road matchup, Thursday’s tipoff versus the Charlotte Hornets (26-29) is at 6:00 p.m. Central.
More: Reed Sheppard, Tristen Newton to represent Rockets in NBA Rising Stars
