{"id":711912,"date":"2026-04-16T18:06:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/711912\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T18:06:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:06:48","slug":"the-rockets-rotation-adjustment-that-could-define-series-vs-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/711912\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rockets\u2019 Rotation Adjustment that Could Define Series vs. Lakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rockets\u2019 impending postseason series is one of the more interesting, with the fourth-seeded Lakers taking on Houston undermanned. Many expect the Rockets to advance past the first round for the first time since 2020, but an up-and-down season as a whole does offer pause.<\/p>\n

While the Lakers\u2019 injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are more consequential and more recent, the Rockets have been playing undermanned all season long, with Fred VanVleet suffering an offseason ACL injury, and Steven Adams undergoing season-ending ankle surgery in January.<\/p>\n

Those injuries cause holes that the Rockets have been trying to plug all season. They haven\u2019t had the necessary handling, creation and play-making ability with VanVleet\u2019s absence, and have dipped on the offensive glass following Stevens\u2019 injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Rockets\u2019 staff has attacked that in several different ways: playing guard Josh Okogie more, going big with Clint Capela, riding Tari Eason\u2019s hot hand when needed and, perhaps most importantly, playing second-year guard Reed Sheppard.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little question that there will be games in the Rockets and Lakers\u2019 series that come down to the wire, and how they handle those situations could very well define the series. While it\u2019s a volatile option, the team\u2019s best path forward is likely to play Sheppard.<\/p>\n

As a whole, the team\u2019s former No. 3 pick has seen a drastically better season. He raised his points per game from 4.4 as a rookie to 13.5, boosting his rebounds and assists as well while doubling his steals per game. He shot drastically better from the field at 43%, and hit on 39% of his seven triples attempted per game.<\/p>\n

REED SHEPPARD HITS HIS 8th THREE FROM DEEP \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n

A NEW CAREER-HIGH IN 3PM! pic.twitter.com\/bA9tYtnmPR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, those stats haven\u2019t necessarily carried over to crunch-time impact, or a starting role. Sheppard started in just 21 games on the season, most near the end of the campaign, and was hit-or-miss in terms of closing games. While his defensive instincts are stellar, his size at just 6-foot-2 allows for some hunt-ability in clutch time, which will only be exacerbated in the Playoffs.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Sheppard isn\u2019t a true lead guard capable of picking up where VanVleet left off. He can play-make at a fine rate, but doesn\u2019t yet have the handling ability or play-making chops to simply create offense.<\/p>\n

Even still, Sheppard is likely the Rockets\u2019 best path forward. He\u2019s a dangerous shooter alongside both Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, who can draw double teams with the best in the league. His defense may not yet be Playoffs-level, though a trial-by-fire series with LA could give him the necessary experience needed to officially become part of the core.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Houston will have other options they can point to, few of which offer the ceiling that Sheppard-fueled lineups do. <\/p>\n

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