Reed Sheppard Stats Tonight: Rockets rookie explodes with scintillating near 50-point all-round performance (Jan. 7)

Reed Sheppard made a spectacular NBA G League debut for the RGV Vipers, despite the team's 130-125 loss to the Oklahoma City Blue at the Bert Ogden Arena on Tuesday. The Houston Rockets rookie made an emphatic statement in his first G League outing, delivering an explosive performance and falling just one point shy of a 50-point game.

Reed Sheppard finished with an impressive 49 points on 17 of 33 shooting, including 8 of 19 from beyond the arc. He was a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line and contributed across the board with five rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block and four turnovers. The rookie concluded the game with a plus/minus of -3, capping off a sensational debut.

Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, had seen limited playing time with the Houston Rockets recently. As a result, the franchise assigned him to their G League affiliate on Monday to gain more opportunities on the court.

The rookie’s last appearance for the Rockets came on Jan. 3 against the Boston Celtics, where he logged just five minutes. In that game, Sheppard didn’t attempt a shot but managed to record a steal. He subsequently missed two consecutive games before delivering a breakout performance in the G League on Tuesday.

Sheppard has appeared in 30 of the Rockets’ 36 games this season, averaging 3.3 points on 32.2% shooting from the field, including 27.9% from beyond the arc. He also contributes 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Fans react to Reed Sheppard's 49-point game in G League

Social media erupted after Reed Sheppard’s stellar performance for the RGV Vipers in the NBA G League. Fans praised the Houston Rockets rookie for his electrifying display, even though it came in a losing effort.

"Rockets could just free this dude and go as far as even winning the championship bro not even an exaggeration to think they would," a fan commented.

"They need to trade Van Fleet to open up space for him on the NBA roster," commented another fan.

"Rockets: but we need him down in the G League because he needs practice. Clearly, the Rockets leadership doesn’t understand their own draft picks," a user wrote.

"Yep idiots don’t wanna play him .. he’s better than van fleet put the dude in,"said another.

Meanwhile, the Rockets squared off against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday and registered a 135-112 blowout win.