Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard isn’t struggling to make shots so far this season, but Amen Thompson wants to see him be even more aggressive in getting the ball up.
After Sheppard told reporters that Thompson jokingly threatened to punch him in the face if he kept dribbling instead of shooting when he had an open look, Thompson confirmed the interaction.
“I did say that,” said Thompson.
Reed’s exact quote was, “Amen told me in the weight room just a minute ago, he said, ‘But if you take one more dribble when you’re open and there’s no shooting, I’m gonna punch you in the face.”
The comment was made following Houston’s 135-112 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Sheppard was one of the offensive standouts in the game with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 25 minutes off the bench.
There were questions about what Houston’s backcourt was going to look like this season after Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL in September. Thompson moved into the role as the starting point guard, with Sheppard likely to see increased playing time.
Sheppard, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, had a rough rookie season in part because it didn’t seem like head coach Ime Udoka fully trusted him. He also didn’t display the shooting touch that made him a top prospect in his class.
The Kentucky alum made 35.1 percent of his field-goal attempts in 52 appearances during the 2024-25 season.
This season has seen Sheppard level up in a big way, at least thus far. He is averaging 12.2 points with a 50.0 percent success rate from three-point range on 5.6 attempts per game in 10 appearances.
It’s hard to imagine Sheppard could be taking even more shots than his 14.8 per 36 minutes. Only Kevin Durant (16.6) and Alperen Şengün (15.8) average more field-goal attempts per 36 minutes among Rockets players.
Thompson clearly thinks Sheppard can at least stop wasting time with his dribbling before getting his shot up, but the vibes in Houston are so good right now that it should prevent any potential fisticuffs from flying.
The Rockets have won seven of eight games since an 0-2 start. They rank first in the NBA in offensive rating and third in net rating.
