The Houston Rockets started their summer league play this week as they were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers 95-92. The game's score wasn't the biggest storyline, as second-year guard Reed Sheppard had a great scoring night.

In Friday’s 2025 NBA summer-league opener, Reed Sheppard led the Rockets with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals during a close loss to the Clippers.

You've got to feel for Reed Sheppard. If a player goes with the third pick in the draft, they're almost guaranteed a starting role. But Sheppard might have been the only loser of the Houston Rockets' surprisingly rapid rise to the heights of the Western Conference.