When starting point guard Fred VanVleet went down with an ACL injury, one of the biggest immediate concerns for the Houston Rockets was the questions surrounding Reed Sheppard's ability to take on a larger role given his limitations on the defensive end of the court.
Through the team's first couple games, it appeared as though these anxieties were playing themselves out in dramatic fashion. Yet, according to Zach Lowe on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Sheppard has already shown drastic improvement in that aspect of his game in just the first month of the season.