The Houston Rockets struggled with three-point shooting last season, which was one of the reasons they failed to make the playoffs.
The addition of Reed Sheppard, the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, should help expand the Rockets’ roster, however. He shot 52.1 percent from three-point range in his only college season.
The Kentucky product could set the rookie record for most three-pointers made by a first-year player, as Andrew Stefaniak of Sports Illustrated The record is currently held by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray, who converted 206 shots from deep in his rookie season.
“For Sheppard to break that record, he would need to average just over 2.5 three-pointers per game this season. The problem for Sheppard is that it won’t be easy to do that off the bench, but he’s still more than capable of doing it,” Stefaniak wrote.
As Stefaniak alluded to, Sheppard will be coming off the bench for his first NBA season. Fred VanVleet is the team’s current starter and that will remain the case until Sheppard eventually takes over that role.
Sure, coming off the bench is a liability for Sheppard, but the fact that the Kentucky product is a top two-way player will make it difficult for Ime Udoka to keep him off the court. Sheppard can shoot, play on and off the ball and can make big plays defensively.
Sheppard also played mostly as a backup during his time in Lexington, so this won’t be a new role for him. He’ll be able to adjust to that role, and as long as he can make his shots, he’ll have a chance to break the record for three-pointers made by a rookie.
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