The Houston Rockets will be without Kevin Durant for at least the next two games due to a family matter. While losing your star is never ideal, it now opens a window for Reed Sheppard to step into a bigger role.

Sheppard, coming off the best game of his young career, is expected to make his first start of the season for Houston in Durant's absence. And while Sheppard has had a great season so far , it's been off the bench, with the second unit, while playing less than half of the game.

Now is an opportunity for the Rockets to see if Sheppard is ready to handle more minutes and the spotlight. That is the ultimate goal for the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. After 66 career games, this could be his trial run to see if he can take on star-level responsibility.

Sheppard is

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