Fans drill NBA insider’s hypothetical claim on Reed Sheppard’s ROTY chances:“Meet if man”

Houston Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard joined the league with great expectations. However, he has failed to make a deep run on a team that is sure of the third seed at worst in the hotly contested Western Conference.

Nevertheless, ESPN's Tim Bontemps had a bold take on the third pick in the 2024 NBA draft on Monday's episode of "The Hoop Collective Podcast." Bontemps asserted that the former Kentucky star would have been in the running for Rookie of the Year if he played more this season.

“Reed Sheppard has basically not played this season," Bontemps said. "He played against the Thunder a couple weeks ago. He had a huge game against one of the best teams in the league, right? If he’s playing for a team where he’s playing 25-30 minutes a game, my prediction would be he would be running away with this award.”

The comment irked fans on social media.

One fan on X tweeted:

"Meet if man."

Other fans thought the idea was absurd.

"He has been terrible the season fym," a fan tweeted.

“If he were good enough to play a lot, he’d be the best rookie. Yeah…. But he’s not good enough so why is this a talking point?" another fan added.

Other fans made fun of the take.

"if Payton Pritchard got 48 minutes a game he’d be an All-Star," a fan tweeted.

“If (Stephen) curry got foul calls he’d be averaging 35 rn,” a fan added.

"He’d be top 3 for sure and Bronny (James) would be top 10," a fan tweeted.

Reed Sheppard has not had the opportunity to contribute much to the Rockets this season. However, he showed why he was highly rated in college when, on his first start, he recorded 25 points, two rebounds and five assists in a 137-128 away loss against the OKC Thunder on March 3.

That may have been the start of something promising, but he played 25 minutes in the next two games. However, he missed three weeks with a thumb injury and is currently averaging 4.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 49 games.

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Reed Sheppard made NBA history against Utah Jazz

Reed Sheppard, during a 143-105 home win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, got some minutes under his belt. In nine minutes, he went 5 of 7 from the 3-point mark as he scored 15 points, recorded three rebounds and created two assists.

As a result, Reed Sheppard became the fourth player in league history to put up those numbers in under 10 minutes played. While his season hasn't gone as he may have envisioned, he may someday play a major role for the young Rockets.