FootyChatter.com

NBA NBA Season Latest As postseason play arrives for the Houston Rockets, will Reed Sheppard (15) or Tari Eason (17) see more starter's minutes alongside Kevin Durant? Thomas Shea / Imagn Images Despite the start of the playoffs being just two weeks away, the Houston Rockets, winners of five straight after Friday’s rout against the Utah Jazz, still haven’t settled on their starting lineup. In recent weeks, they’ve been going back and forth between sharpshooter Reed Sheppard and defensive-minded Tari Eason alongside regular starters Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün. Advertisement If the decision were based on numbers, it would already be made. For much of the season, the Rockets have been dominant when Eason plays with Houston’s top guys. According to Cleaning The Glass, the five-man unit of Thompson, Eason, Durant, Smith and Şengün has posted a net rating of plus-9. 7. That’s the fifth-highest mark of any five-man unit in the league with at least 600 possessions. Replace Eason with Sheppard and the number drops to a shockingly bad minus-3. 7. With all the length and athleticism the lineup with Eason brings, Houston has been able to suffocate teams on the defensive end and use those stops to generate easy offense. Per Cleaning The Glass, that group with Eason has logged a defensive rating of 108. 7, which would be equivalent to the second-best defense in the NBA this season. The formula with Eason is simple — and it fits the identity Rockets coach Ime Udoka has emphasized in Houston since day one: defend, rebound, be versatile on the perimeter and don’t overcomplicate things on offense. After a horrible shooting slump that led, in part, to him losing his starting role last month, Eason has looked sharp lately and is back to impacting the game on both ends of the floor at a high level. His 17-point, eight-rebound, two-steal game Tuesday against the New York Knicks was one of his best all-around performances of the season. TARI EASON IS 5/5 AND 3/3 FROM THREE THANK YOU! !! !! !! ! pic. twitter. com/d KGr Ayaok A — Bradeaux (@Bradeaux NBA) April 1, 2026 Now that Eason looks like himself again, this should be an easy decision for Udoka, right? It’s not that simple. That net rating may be much more in Eason’s favor, but the Rockets are 14-4 with Sheppard in the starting lineup. Sheppard’s maturation as an elite shooter and an emerging floor general has done more than just provide optimism for the future of a Sheppard-Thompson backcourt in Houston. Sheppard’s particular skill set has provided the Rockets with a spark they need on offense when things get stagnant around Durant and Şengün. Advertisement In addition to proving he can be a dynamic threat moving off the ball to create space for the Rockets’ stars, Sheppard has also shown gradual improvement running the offense as a more traditional point guard. With the recent injury news surrounding Los Angeles Lakers guards Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the landscape in the Western Conference is rapidly shifting. The Rockets’ recent winning streak has them looking like a team hitting its stride at the perfect time on the calendar — even if most of those wins were against inferior opponents. What makes the streak fascinating is that the offense has caught fire at an almost historic rate. The Rockets (48-29) have reached 30-plus assists in all five games, the first time they’ve done that since 1986. It’s not just the ball movement. Houston has shot 41 percent on 3-pointers and hit at least 15 of them in four of those five games. The offense looks more unpredictable in half-court sets than at any point this season. And despite the increase in pace, the turnovers have also dipped considerably. There’s no questioning Sheppard’s huge role in this evolution, and the Rockets are trying to make the transformation feel more permanent before the start of the postseason. “We’re looking for balance. We know we’ve got some good isolation guys. We’ve got some good pick-and-roll players and post-up guys. But we want to be better in half-court execution, ” Udoka said. “We want to play a little faster. ” Based on what Udoka is looking for from his offense, Sheppard seems like the fit that makes the most sense. With Sheppard on the floor, Durant and Thompson have more freedom to play away from the ball, where they present the most problems for opposing defenses. Sheppard also helps Şengün get more of his touches as the roll-man in pick-and-roll situations, rather than relying so heavily on post-ups and isolations. Advertisement “The way we’re moving the ball and the way we’re playing off the ball is allowing everybody to be in good position to be aggressive to score, ” Durant said. If Udoka chooses Sheppard as his fifth starter, it wouldn’t just be about what the second-year guard has done to help this year’s team. It would also be about investing in him as a core piece with the live reps he needs to further establish himself. Putting the plus-minus numbers with Sheppard and the other starters aside, the eye test says the Rockets move with a different zip when he is out there. The off-ball actions to get Sheppard or Thompson on the move make it much more difficult for opposing teams to send multiple bodies at Durant, as they have all year. Some of the numbers Sheppard has put up in a limited role suggest he’s on the path to becoming a special offensive weapon, though there may be some bumps along the road as he learns to maneuver with more freedom in the playoffs, when the pressure and game planning rise to a different level. Still, it might be better for the Rockets’ present and future if Sheppard gets as much experience as possible during this playoff run, particularly next to other members of Houston’s young core. It could be the beginning of that group building something that leads to playoff success for years to come. Sheppard has managed to put together a special season, even in a limited role. With his 215 3-pointers, including a career-high nine Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, he joins Anthony Edwards, La Melo Ball, Trae Young, Jalen Green and Kon Knueppel as the only players in NBA history to make at least 200 in a season before turning 22. Sheppard is averaging 39. 6 percent on his attempts from deep, which is second among that group. Then again, the injuries to Dončić and Reaves could motivate the Rockets to lean into the Eason lineups and push forward by going with what they know. Maybe clawing for wins by any means possible is more important than expanding the overall offense and the dynamic within the backcourt. With Eason, the Rockets’ floor is more predictable and consistent. But with Sheppard, the ceiling feels so much higher. The potential to reach greater heights has to be somewhat enticing for the coaching staff. Advertisement “Me and Tari have talked to each other, and neither one of us care who starts, ” Sheppard said. “It doesn’t matter to us. We just want to win. ” Ultimately, this decision may not matter much once the dust settles. The most important lineup will be the one Udoka puts on the floor to close games. That will be the real test for Sheppard regarding the trust he has — or hasn’t — earned from the coaching staff. Either way, Houston has to be happy with how both Eason and Sheppard are playing with the playoffs days away. Both of them should see heavy minutes as Udoka shortens his rotation. Still, Udoka’s decision on his fifth starter could be a crossroads moment for the Rockets — and for Sheppard’s development. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he's been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. He is a New Orleans native. Follow William on Twitter @Will Guillory