If Shepard was in a lottery team, he might have a better chance than the Rockets, Stone admitted in an interview

The Rockets' starting lineup in the new season is already perfect, Van Jordan, Durant, Smith, Amen and Shin Kyung. There are three big men on the field, and even Amen is 2.03 meters tall. Only Van Jordan is shorter, but his defense is sophisticated. Shepard led the bench, and Okogie assisted in defense, cooperating with Ethan, electric fans, Adams and others. Especially Shepard, in order to give him a chance to develop, the Rockets did not introduce a backcourt during the offseason, but instead made up for the front line.

Today, Rockets general manager Stone also talked about Shepard when he was a guest on ESPN. To be honest, he felt very sorry for Shepard. Because if Shepard was not selected by the Rockets, he would definitely be won by some lottery teams. Then the development opportunities Shepard has are not comparable to those of the Rockets. After the Rockets entered Uduka, they were a championship team, especially this year they also won Durant. Even last season, the Rockets didn't have enough room to make mistakes for Shepard.

Shepard was 52% in college, and was also known as the white version of Curry. Shepard is still developing towards a double-energy defender, and the Rockets hope that he can become a combination of Paul's pass and Curry's shot. But these require a good environment for making mistakes. If you are on a lottery team, such as the Nets' signing is not won by the Rockets. Then Shepard on the Nets will get unlimited firepower, and it's okay to be targeted on the defensive end, and there is also a stable starting time.

Then Shepard, who was in his first year of rookie, may be able to develop, and it is obvious that Shepard's performance began in the second half of last season. The offensive end has recovered significantly, and the defensive end is also strengthening. He has gained 12 pounds of weight this offseason. Stone also admitted that if she were on the Lotto team, Shepard would not be like this. Shepard is now scolded and is disliked and questioned everywhere. This is why Shepard is in the Rockets. If he had treated him like Rissache and Saar, no one would have questioned him at all.

Stone said: "Shepard was questioned when he joined us. It is obvious that he was last year's Tanhua. If he was on a lottery team, he would get the normal high pick. Shepard himself is the point guard. The lottery team will give him the ball and give him the opportunity to make mistakes on both ends of the offense and defense. Shepard will absorb these and grow up. But we can't give him an environment like this, so he can only grow under strict conditions. Many people say he is weak, but don't forget. Shepard has an elite shooting ability, and his vertical bounce in running is 40 inches (1.02 meters). He is stronger this offseason, and next season I don't think he will be a weakness on the defensive end."

Stone actually said it very clearly. Just like Uduka's previous analysis, Shepard has both defensive consciousness and unity consciousness, but it is not enough to confront. What's more, Shepard himself is the worst-paid rookie among the top three picks. Even if Shepard is putting the Spurs and Castle interchange, it may be a different situation. What Shepard wants to solve at the moment is the problem of poor confrontation. He has indeed strengthened a lot of the game this summer league, but his flexibility has also decreased a bit, which may take some time to solve. If Shepard can grow up, he will indeed have the potential to become the Rockets' starting point guard in the future. Shepard is 1.91 meters tall and has a historically-level projection feel, and he has a bit of Curry's style when he feels smoothly. Last season, Shepard averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per 12.6 minutes per game, shooting percentage of 35.1%, but shooting percentage of 34% from three-pointers. There is another data. Shepard averaged 20 points and 5 assists per game in three starts, with an overall shooting percentage of 49%, and a three-pointer of 52%, which is worth noting. This is why we say that he may be able to play faster in the start of the lottery team.