Reed Sheppard entered the 2025-26 NBA season with expectations of a significant role for the Houston Rockets. The franchise had selected him third overall in the 2024 NBA Draft and lacked depth at the guard spot. That guard deficit was amplified when the team traded Jalen Green at the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. And it was exacerbated when Fred VanVleet went down in the preseason.  Sheppard suddenly found himself at the forefront of Houston’s guard room, with only Aaron Holiday alongside him, who is more of a scoring guard. In spite of that, the Rockets opted to utilize Amen Thompson as the team's point guard, especially at the onset of the season. Sheppard was mostly relegated to an off-ball role, as Rockets coach Ime Udoka sought to use him in the same vein that the Golden State Warriors have used Stephen Curry for years. Sheppard was also glued to the bench, with Udoka relying on Sheppard to provide the Rockets' scoring punch off the second unit.…