NBA Insider: Reed Sheppard Has More Upside Than Jalen Green amid Rockets Trade Rumors

Houston Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard is a "higher-upside player" than Jalen Green in the view of The Athletic's Sam Vecenie.

"That's no shot at Jalen Green, I just think Reed's passing and playmaking, and feel, are just worlds ahead of where Jalen Green is," Vecenie said on his Game Theory podcast (via Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire). "Jalen has all the athleticism and separation ability, and all that stuff… but the ability to make plays for your teammates and be an unselfish player, I don't know."

Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, has had an inconsistent first three seasons. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during the 2023-24 campaign.

While those are solid numbers, Green saw his scoring dip from the 2022-23 season and has not made any major strides with his efficiency. He's shot between 41.7 percent and 42.6 percent in each of his three seasons. His only area of any noticeable improvement has been rebounding, which shot up to 5.2 boards per game last season after being under four his first two seasons.

Add in consistent defensive issues, and Green has been a difficult player to peg in terms of his ceiling and how much he's worth to Houston as he heads for restricted free agency in 2025.

Sheppard's arrival only muddied the waters because Houston has thrown another young guard into the mix.

As a freshman at Kentucky, he averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 assists while knocking down more than half (52.1 percent) of his threes. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote Sheppard can be, at worst, "a connector who's valued for spot-up shooting and passing" with the potential to operate as a lead guard if he shows the athleticism to score off the dribble.

The Rockets will eventually reach a critical juncture with Green. They'll either have to extend him or trade him and what they decide may come in part down to how Sheppard performs in his rookie season.