Sheppard was selected with the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Rockets. Sheppard should add a jolt of elite perimeter shooting to the Rockets while sharing reserve playmaking responsibilities with Amen Thompson. It's easy to envision Sheppard running two-man action with Alperen Sengun, or Sengun finding Sheppard for open looks coming off a variety of off-ball screens. The guard out of Kentucky is also a smart and active defender, though his 6-foot-2 frame will limit his upside on that side of the ball. Sheppard showed out in Summer League, averaging 20.0 points and 1.3 threes on 50/28/75 shooting, 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and 4.8 turnovers in 33.1 minutes. Despite Sheppard being a historically great three-point shooter in college, he used it to just supplement his game in Summer League. He was much more active from the mid-range, firing away when discarding his defender or freezing the defense in a pick-and-roll. Sheppard has enough potential to be worth taking with the No. 1 pick in keeper/dynasty formats, but his path to immediate minutes as a rookie is complicated and may limit his Year 1 potential.
