Sheppard's breakout impacts trade strategy! Highly complementary with Amen, Rockets more willing to part with draft picks

On November 29 Beijing time, Rockets reporter Guillory engaged with fans and responded to several questions. Among them, about Sheppard’s recent surge, Guillory mentioned it will shift the Rockets’ trade strategy.

The fan’s question was: With Sheppard rising as a dependable point guard for the team, will this alter the front office’s distribution strategy for future draft picks and potential young talents in order to optimize the 2026 title pursuit?

Guillory replied as follows—

I believe it will definitely have an impact.

In the last 10 games, Sheppard has averaged 17.1 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, shooting 53.8% from the field and 47.1% from three-point range. More importantly, his fit in the current role has reached an unprecedented level. He actively moves to find shooting opportunities and shoots threes without hesitation. As each game progresses, Udoka finds it increasingly difficult to substitute him off when he comes off the bench.

The Rockets’ starting lineup emphasizes inside strength, while Sheppard’s offensive firepower, especially beyond the arc, provides a crucial supplement the team urgently needs.

Specifically, Sheppard’s rise may change the Rockets’ future draft pick usage strategy in two ways:

First, the Rockets’ primary goal remains winning the championship this season, but after recent valuable draft finds,four of the five starting positions for the future have basically been locked in—Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Shengjun, and Jabari Smith Jr.

The backcourt pairing of Sheppard and Amen has huge potential, especially if Sheppard continues to improve his ball-handling and playmaking. They complement each other extremely well on offense and both provide strong defensive disruption. With Sheppard, Amen, Smith, and Shengjun becoming the team’s pillars, management’s focus should shift to acquiring wing players with size or three-point specialists. Most importantly, the team needs role players who fit specific roles rather than high-ceiling young prospects.

Secondly,Sheppard’s breakout might make the Rockets more willing to trade some future draft picks. After all, when you are quite satisfied with 8-9 players in your rotation, hoarding a large number of first-round picks becomes less meaningful.

Indeed, veterans like Durant, VanVleet, Finney-Smith, and Adams will eventually leave, but the Rockets’ roster depth is sufficient enough that losing a few picks won’t have a major impact. Moreover, for veterans eager to join a championship contender, the Rockets would be an attractive destination, and filling the end of the roster won’t be difficult.