Reed Sheppard shines in return to NBA Summer League. But it’s different this time

Reed Sheppard delivered a breakout offensive performance in the first game of his second NBA Summer League on Friday night.

The former North Laurel High School and University of Kentucky star put up 28 points during a 95-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Las Vegas.

More valuable to Kentucky’s 2023 Mr. Basketball than all those buckets might end up being his four steals, three blocked shots, eight rebounds and overall disruptive defensive nature.

Sheppard admitted there is a clear point of emphasis this summer during an interview with ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Thursday.

“The biggest thing this summer was getting in the weight room and, defensively, just working on defense,” Sheppard said. “We had probably a two-to-three-week stretch. My workouts were straight defense.

“I wasn’t touching the basketball for the first 40 minutes. It wasn’t very fun. But we got it done. So just working on that stuff, still getting up shots and ball handling and all that, but really just working on being stronger and getting more physical.”

Sheppard turned in another steady performance during his second 2025 Summer League game Sunday, and the Rockets decided they’d seen enough. The team decided Monday to shut Sheppard down for the remainder of Summer League play.

On Sunday, Sheppard finished with 18 points, three rebounds, one assist, four steals and six turnovers in 28 minutes during Houston’s 98-83 loss to Detroit.

After one season at Kentucky under John Calipari, Sheppard was the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, mostly based on his remarkable marksmanship from 3-point range in college (52.1%) but also on his overall basketball intuition, his floor-spacing capabilities, and his unusual defensive instincts.

At 6-foot-2 and 182 pounds on draft night, the now 21-year-old Sheppard mostly needed to get stronger to withstand the rigors of the NBA’s 82-game seasons and its never-ending parade of long, supremely talented wing players and point guards.

As a rookie, the son of former UK stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed received some brief seasoning in the G League, playing three dominant games (30.7 points per game) for the Rockets’ Rio Grande Valley affiliate, but spent almost all of his time in the big league.

Sheppard played in 52 games for Houston, averaging 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.7 steals in 12.6 minutes per appearance. He hit on 33.8 percent of his 142 3-point attempts. He fractured the thumb on his shooting hand on March 6 and returned in time for the playoffs but was a non-factor in the postseason, making brief appearances in three games.

The Rockets finished with the second-best record in the NBA’s Western Conference in 2024-25 but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

When Houston decided to go all-in on a roster makeover this offseason designed to spur a deeper playoff run next year, Sheppard was one of the core pieces the Rockets decided to protect.

Houston acquired 15-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns as part of a historic seven-team trade.

“Obviously, when I saw it it was really cool for me,” Sheppard told ESPN. “I grew up watching him my whole life so it’s kind of crazy now that I’m going to be playing with him.”

Guards Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks were part of the departing package, which is expected to create an opportunity for Sheppard.

Sheppard told ESPN the Rockets’ faith in him carries weight.

“It gives me a lot of confidence just going into the gym, continuing to work on everything I’ve been working on this summer, just getting better, and just really looking forward to the season and trying to help as much as I can.”

Sheppard played 33 minutes of Friday night’s game in Vegas, the most of any Rocket. He made 10 of 25 shots, including 6 of 15 from long range (40%). He also dished four assists and committed three turnovers. During one segment, Sheppard personally outscored the Clippers 9-0, making a trio of 3-pointers.

“My teammates keep telling me to shoot it,” Sheppard told ESPN during an in-game interview Friday night. “Keep shooting it with confidence.”

When asked what he learned from his first NBA season that led to his breakout performance Friday night, Sheppard said the style of game is different from college to the pros.

“It’s faster, more physical, better athletes so (I’m) just staying in the gym all summer and just trying to work and be the best I can be.”

The Rockets next take to the floor Sunday to play the Detroit Pistons (4 p.m. EDT, ESPN2) and Monday to face the Atlanta Hawks (4:30 p.m., NBA TV).

This story was originally published July 12, 2025 at 11:20 AM.