Sheppard will not play in Sunday's Summer League finale against the Trail Blazers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Sheppard will be shut down for the Rockets' final Summer League game, as the team is out of contention. The third overall pick will now shift his focus to getting ready for the upcoming season, where he'll have an uphill battle for significant playing time.
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Rockets' Cam Whitmore: Shut down for Summer League
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Whitmore won't play during the rest of Summer League, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports.
Whitmore has been one of the top performers at Summer League and will turn his focus to getting ready for the regular season after appearing in three games in Las Vegas. The high-flying 20-year-old logged 47 games played with the Rockets as a rookie, averaging 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds across 18.7 minutes.
Sheppard finished with 15 points (6-17 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, two assists and three steals in 36 minutes during Monday's 87-73 Summer League loss to the Pistons.
Sheppard took a step back Monday after posting a strong final line Sunday, as he converted on 35.3 percent of his tries from the field and committed four turnovers in an ugly loss. This is part of the learning process for the young guard, who will almost certainly have plenty of ups and downs once the regular season begins.
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Rockets' Jack McVeigh: Signs two-way deal with Houston
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McVeigh agreed to a two-way contract with the Rockets on Monday, ESPN Basketball Insider Olgun Uluc reports.
McVeigh is currently playing for the Australian Boomers ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he's set to join the Rockets ahead of the upcoming 2024-25 season. He put together a solid showing Monday against Team USA, recording eight points in 11 minutes of run. McVeigh figures to split time behind the NBA level and the Rockets' G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Sheppard went for 22 points (9-15 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven assists, six rebounds, five steals and a block across 32 minutes during Sunday's 109-91 victory over the Wizards at Summer League.
Sheppard stuffed the stat sheet Sunday, recording a game-high seven assists and tying a game-high five steals. The third overall pick was also effective creating in the midrange, finding shots for himself and teammates. Sheppard has been impressive to kick off Summer League, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks in 31.0 minutes per game across two appearances.
Rockets' Reed Sheppard: Team-high 23 points in win Friday
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Sheppard produced 23 points (9-17 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five assists, four rebounds, three blocks and one steal across 30 minutes in Friday's 99-80 win over the Lakers in the NBA 2K25 Summer League.
Sheppard opened his Summer League play with an extremely productive outing, stuffing the stat sheet and hitting a team-high four three-pointers. The No. 3 overall pick was a lights-out shooter in one season with Kentucky, during which he averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals while shooting 52.1 percent from deep. The 20-year-old also impressed on defense Friday, but his 6-foot-2 frame could limit what he can do on that side of the ball against NBA competition.
The Rockets signed Williams to a two-way contract Wednesday.
Williams was on a two-way deal with the Rockets last season and appeared in 22 NBA games. He averaged 2.9 points and 1.0 rebounds across 5.9 minutes per game. The 34-year-old is also part of the Rockets' Summer League roster.
Rockets' Nate Hinton: Signs Exhibit 10 deal with Rockets
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The Rockets signed Hinton to an Exhibit 10 deal Monday, Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports.
The Rockets previously decided not to extend a two-way qualifying offer to Hinton. The 25-year-old averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds across 5.0 minutes in 15 regular-season games with the club last season. However, Hinton will now have the chance to prove he is worth another two-way contract with Houston's Summer League team.
