With the news of the ACL injury to Fred VanVleet, which could keep him out for the entirety of this upcoming season, fans of the Houston Rockets immediately knew that some serious re-shuffling was coming to the rotation.
Yet, despite their lack of backcourt depth, Brian Windhorst, on the latest episode of The Hoop Collective, claims that head coach Ime Udoka will be exceedingly hesitant to start young guard Reed Sheppard, instead opting for a playmaking-by-committee approach: a gamble that the team's success this season will depend upon.
Although the team has capable playmakers in Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun already in their starting lineup, this is a gamble that the team must take, leaving Sheppard in an enhanced bench role as a result of his lack of defensive capabilities.