ESPN ranks Rockets' Reed Sheppard as No. 1 sophomore to watch in 2025-26

The 2025-26 NBA season is coming down to its final couple of months before its start. After free agency has come and gone, there's a lot to expect from a lot of teams.

One franchise that will look a lot different for the new season will be the Houston Rockets. Their roster has switched up completely after completing a trade with the Phoenix Suns to acquire 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant.

In the deal, there was a record-breaking seven teams involved. But the main details included the Rockets acquiring Durant, and the Suns getting Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (who turned out to be Duke's Khaman Maluach), and five second-round picks.

With the departure of two guards in Green and Brooks, opportunities will open up for some young, up-and-coming studs in Houston. One of whom will be the No. 3 pick in 2024, Reed Sheppard.

Sheppard was the odd man out in the Rockets' deep roster last season, averaging just 12.6 minutes a game in his rookie year. But his second season in the league can come with more minutes. ESPN ranked him as the No. 1 sophomore player to watch for the upcoming season.

At just 21 years old, Sheppard came into the league after spending just one year in college at the University of Kentucky. In the 33 games played in the NCAA, he was extremely productive as the Wildcats' sixth man, averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals while shooting 53.6% from the field and 52.1% from three-point land.

His rookie season was mostly played in the G-League, but a 49-point performance in a game shows how talented Sheppard truly is. He's still expected to play as a role player behind guards Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet, but his role in Houston will be significant for next season.