Win 6 new stars in 4 years! Rockets set off a storm of youth: 52.1% of the three-point Tanhua Sharpshooter joined the playoffs

Li Xilin's basketball lore

2024-06-27 11:43Creators in the field of sports

On June 27, Beijing time, the Rockets selected guard Reed Shepherd from the University of Kentucky with the third pick in the 2024 draft. The Rockets have no intention of trading him, instead planning to keep the accurate three-point shooter for development.

Shepard is a 3-D two-way defender, the player model is Derrick White, he is 1.88 meters tall, 1.91 meters long, he is not very good, but he has amazing bounce, fast footwork, quick reflexes, and fast shooting and stealing.

In the 2023-24 season, he played in 33 games for the University of Kentucky, averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.7 blocks in 28.9 minutes per game, shooting 53.6% from the field, 52.1% from three-point range, and 83.1% from the free throw line. This kind of shooting data is relatively rare in the NCAA arena. Even super shooters such as Curry and Redick didn't have such a high three-point shooting percentage in college.

It is worth mentioning that Shepard is very accurate in shooting three-point shots in all positions. He shot 49.4 percent from three-point range in the NBA on 81 three-point attempts. He shot 3-pointers in 109 catches and shot 51.4 percent from the field. He shot 54 unmarked catch-and-shoot three-pointers from the field at a 57.4 percent shooting rate. 55 times he was guarded and made three-pointers, shooting 45.5 percent from the field. He made 27 three-pointers from the corner and shot 51.9 percent from the field.

However, it should be pointed out that Shepard will definitely encounter much higher defensive intensity than in the NCAA after entering the NBA. Shepard, of course, has a vertical bounce height of 42 inches (about 107 centimeters) and tied for first place in the joint tryout physical test. This shows that his physical fitness is very good. Shepard averaged 2.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game and was also very focused on the defensive end, a bit like Derrick White indeed.

The Rockets have gained another superstar, and since 2021, the Rockets have received six new stars.

In 2021, the Rockets drafted Jalen Green with the No. 1 pick and Shin Kyung with the No. 16 pick, and these two became the core of the Rockets' outside and interior lines last season. Shin Kyung averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game last season, shooting 53.7% from the field and 29.7% from three-point range. Shin Kyung has become the interior pillar of the Rockets.

Jalen Green, who averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season, did not perform well in the first half of the game, but in March he averaged 27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 49.2% from the field and 40.8% from three-point range, and the Rockets had an 11-game winning streak in March.

The Rockets drafted Jabari Smith Jr. with a probe pick in 2022. He made some progress last season, averaging 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field, 36.3% from three-point range and 81.1% from the free throw line. Smith's NBA template is Bosh, who has grown into a reliable space power forward.

The 2023 Rockets drafted Amen Thompson with the fourth pick and Whitmore with the 20th pick. Amen rose in the second half of the season, averaging 13.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in March and 12.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in April, including 18 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in the final game against the Clippers.

Whitmore was impressive before his injury, averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 steals in just 18.7 minutes per game while shooting 45.4% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range. He was expected to finish in the top five of the draft, but dropped to the 20th pick. Now that the Rockets have got the sharpshooter Shepard again, it has to be said that the Rockets have gathered enough potential new stars. With the addition of two veterans, Van Jordan and Dillon Brooks, the Houston Legion is aiming for the playoffs next season.

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