The Houston Rockets came in near the bottom of The Athletic’s latest position rankings, landing at No. 23 among NBA point guard groups.
The list, released Friday, weighs starters and reserves together while taking recent production, availability and morale into account. For Houston, that means Fred VanVleet and Reed Sheppard were judged as the team’s point guard duo, with VanVleet projected to start and Sheppard listed as the main backup.
Law Murray framed the position this way: “Point guard is arguably the deepest position in the league. There are quality starters in Utah, Toronto, Houston, New Orleans and Charlotte, but those teams have players who are further away from true star status.”
VanVleet is expected back after an ACL injury wiped out his entire 2025-2026 season. The 32-year-old should give Houston some veteran stability in the backcourt, but he’s also almost five years removed from his only All-Star nod, and his scoring has dipped to 14.1 points per game.
Sheppard gave the Rockets a much better look off the bench last season. In his sophomore year, the 22-year-old put up 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals across 82 games, and he finished in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Long term, he looks like a real part of Houston’s young core, even if VanVleet remains the safer bet for a team trying to win now.
That win-now tension sits right at the center of Houston’s bigger picture. The Rockets are coming off a 52-30 season and are built around Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, with the suggestion here being that the team could be a breakthrough squad in 2027. Even so, the point guard spot doesn’t feature a true star by Murray’s evaluation.
Ime Udoka could choose to move Thompson into the starting point guard role, but that would open up the same issue at shooting guard. If Houston decides to push harder for an immediate title run, the organization could also look to make a significant trade in the coming months.
Kyrie Irving remains one name linked to Houston as a possible target. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season and earned another All-Star selection, his ninth.
A deal for Irving would likely cost the Rockets some pieces that might grow in value later, but it would also give them a clear offensive jolt. That kind of upgrade could matter more with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder already pulling ahead of the rest of the Western Conference.
For now, the Rockets’ point guard situation is workable, even if it doesn’t inspire much awe. VanVleet and Sheppard give Houston two usable options. If the season bends toward bigger ambitions, Irving would be the louder swing on offense.
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Reed Sheppard Faces A Tough Rockets Reality This Season
Reed Sheppard has done the one thing that usually gets a young guard noticed in preseason: he has kept the ball moving and made shots. His perimeter touch has stood out, and the early returns have only reinforced why the Rockets were intrigued by him in the first place, especially as they try to sort out where he fits in a backcourt that already has established names.
The issue for Sheppard is that Houstons guard room is crowded enough that shooting alone may not be enough to carve out steady minutes. With Marcus Smart, Fred VanVleet and Bogdan Bogdanovic in the mix, the Rockets have more veterans to lean on, and the questions around Sheppards defense only add another layer to the challenge. For a player who looked like he could push for a larger role, the season may end up being more about patience than instant opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Bogdan Bogdanovic Just Gave Rockets Fans A Real Rotation Debate
The Rockets came into the preseason with a fairly clean-looking picture for the 2026-27 rotation, with nine players seemingly locked in around veterans like Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. But Bogdan Bogdanovic, brought in during the offseason, has already made things a little less tidy for Ime Udoka, and that is usually the kind of complication a coach does not mind having when camp winds down.
Bogdanovic helped Houston close the preseason with a win over Oklahoma City, giving the team a strong final look before the games start to count. The Rockets finished 2-1 in exhibition play, but the bigger question now is how Udoka sorts out the minutes behind his top group, especially if Bogdanovic keeps giving the staff a reason to pause before settling on the opening-night plan. [Read more 🡒]
Which Rockets Young Star Must Deliver Next To KD
Houstons rise last season, capped by a 52-30 finish, came with the kind of abrupt playoff exit that tends to sharpen every conversation around a young core. With Kevin Durant now in the mix alongside Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet, the Rockets enter the 2026-27 season with more expectations than excuses, and more eyes on which of their rising pieces is ready to take the next step.
That question has already become a talking point among On SI writers, who are weighing which young Rocket carries the biggest burden going forward. Reed Sheppard is part of that discussion, but so are Sengun and Thompson, and the answer may say as much about the teams future shape as it does about any one players development. [Read more 🡒]