Reed Sheppard Stats Tonight: How did Rockets rookie fare against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving’s Mavericks? (Oct. 31)

Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft, has had a slow start to his rookie season. Known for being a three-level scorer in college, he entered tonight ranking 22nd among all rookies in points per game with 2.5 while logging 11.4 minutes per game, which is only 21st among first-year players.

Tonight, Sheppard and the Houston Rockets, who split their first four games, go up against the in-form Dallas Mavericks, featuring an All-Star backcourt with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Rockets survived a late surge from the Mavericks and secured the 108-102 win. Both teams now share similar 3-2 records.

The Rockets only used Reed Sheppard for five minutes. Below are his stats for tonight’s game.

PLAYER	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	STL	BLK	TO	PF	=+/-
Reed Sheppard	05:15	2	1	0	1	1	100	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	1	0	0	0	0	5

Jalen Green led the Rockets with 23 points, while Dillon Brooks and Alperen Sengun added 17 markers apiece. Tari Eason and Amen Thompson added 15 and 10 off the bench, respectively.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving had 29 and 28 points, respectively, for the Mavericks, who outscored Houston by 10 in the fourth quarter but were unable to eke out the win.

Reed Sheppard rises as Rookie of the Year favorite in GM poll

Before the 2024-25 NBA season began, league general managers were surveyed for their predictions on championship contenders and individual awards, including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

Reed Sheppard topped the list as the favorite for Rookie of the Year, receiving 50% of the votes. Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Edey (30%) and San Antonio Spurs’ Stephon Castle (13%) followed, while Ron Holland II from Detroit and Alex Sarr from Washington also earned votes.

The GMs also favored Sheppard as the rookie most likely to be the top player of his draft class in five years, securing 43% of the vote.

Castle came next with 17%, followed by Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick, at 13%, and a tie between Bub Carrington and Sarr at 7%.

Sheppard played one season at the University of Kentucky, earning All-SEC honors as a freshman before being drafted third overall in 2024. In his season with the Wildcats, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka has already named Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green as the team’s starting backcourt, and securing more playing time will be a challenge for Sheppard, particularly with a strong bench that includes Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson, Aaron Holiday and Tari Eason.