28 points + 3 blocks, Shepard s defense upgrade, teammates wasted assists, and he could be the new 6th player of the Rockets

After a series of operations, the Rockets' lineup has basically taken shape and there will be no major adjustments. The back line is insufficient, and more hope is placed on the Tanhua Show Shepherd last season. The Rockets faced the Clippers in the first game of the summer league. Shepard led the team's lineup, with players such as Dante, Nate Williams, Moses Brown, etc. listed. There are not many players worth paying attention to in this summer league. I want to see more about Shepard's achievements in multiple special training this summer and whether there are improvements.

The Rockets' overall strength in the summer league lineup was average. The Clippers scored 5 points in a row at the beginning and chose consecutive shooting and misses. Shepard played very well and did not take any blind moves. Now he withstands the opponent's singles on the defensive end and takes a three-pointer opportunity to get a knife. His pace on the court was faster than his opponent. The results of summer special training were obvious. The three-pointer was still stable output, and the confrontation increased by a level, truly demonstrating his core playing style.

Apart from Shepard, there is no first-round pick in the Rockets' summer league roster. The tactical level of the game is very low and there are almost no tactics to speak of. Shepard only has enough ball rights in the opening stage. In the second half of the first quarter, he made more forceful moves, resulting in a low shooting percentage. Offense is just a matter of feel, confrontation and defense improvement are the key points. Shepard only made 2 of 8 shots in the first quarter, but contributed two steals and one chase to the big hat. This is what the Rockets need him to do in the regular season.

In Shepard's next phase, the Rockets collapsed and without his leadership, the Clippers players made a breakthrough at will, because the overall strength of the players was average and they played very chaotic. Among these players, except for Shepard, who would enter the rotation in the regular season, players such as Dante and Williams had to spend a long time in the Development League. Dante missed three tip-in shots in one round. Shepard found the touch in the second quarter, retreating and chasing three-pointers to score his offensive advantage, helping the team overtake the score.

If it weren't for the poor touch of the teammates, Shepard would have had more assists, and other Rockets' outside players had wasted Shepard's wonderful pass many times. Shepard scored 28 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in this game. These data were just regular operations. The defensive end brought surprises, contributing 5 steals and 3 blocks. In the regular season, the Rockets did not need him to hold the ball and attack a lot, after all, there are VanVleet, Durant and the forward group. Shepard needs to do more defense and three-pointers to make the substitute a sixth man available.

Shepard's defense + confrontation has been significantly upgraded. Among the lineup created by the Rockets this year, only Van Vleet, Shepard and Holiday Jr., were three defenders. With Whitmore leaving the team, the sixth man was vacant. The progressive Shepard is expected to be unearthed as the new sixth man. The Rockets are very proud of him and refuse to send out the Tanhua Show in Durant's trade. In the first summer league game, the Rockets lost to the Clippers 92-95. Only Shepard's performance was remarkable, with Williams having 6 points and 6 rebounds and Dante having 9 points and 4 rebounds.