New and old matches! 4 point guard competition, 21-year-old shooter is difficult to make a comeback? Stone misses a good trading opportunity

In the previous Durant deal, the Phoenix Suns actually wanted to ask the Rockets for Smith Jr., Ethan, and even their Tanhua Show Shepard. But in the end, the Rockets rejected such a deal request because the Rockets believed that Smith Jr. and Ethan were both future cores of the team. Although Shepard performed poorly last season, his talent and football quotient are both first-class in the Rockets' eyes. A point guard who can play with his brain is quite rare for the Rockets.

After Van Vreet's future retirement, it is obvious that Amen Thompson and Shepard will be the main rotation of the Rockets' No. 1 position. Even if Amen serves as power forward, Shepard will probably become the starting point guard of the Rockets. After all, he has excellent passing vision and good shooting ability. As long as she can practice defense and confrontation well, Shepard will at least become a starting guard in the future.

The Rockets now have 4 point guards competing for positions, and veteran Van Villet's position is unshakable. Shepard will be selected as the first substitute for the Rockets' No. 1 position next season, and he will average at least 20 minutes of playing time. Veteran Aaron Holiday, who signed a minimum salary contract extension with the Rockets not long ago, will serve as the third point guard next season. Last season, Holiday beat Shepard in the competition and became Van Vreet's main substitute again. But in the new season, it is obvious that the Rockets will use Shepard more in the opening stage, giving him enough playing time and ball rights. Although she may not be as good as Van Vreett, Shepard has always been highly expected by the Rockets, giving him more time in the regular season, hoping that Shepard can also perform in the playoffs.

In addition to these three, the Rockets also have a 23-year-old role player JD Davidson. Davidson is a two-way contract player signed by the Rockets before. He can also play in two positions in the backcourt like Shepard, and is a double-energy defender. Although Davidson averaged only 1.6 points per game with the Celtics last season, he is the most valuable player in the regular season, and he can average 7 assists per game in the regular season; and in the playoffs, Davidson averaged 13 assists per game. So now the Rockets' point guard position is competing with four players, including veteran Holiday and Van Vreet, as well as young Shepard and Davidson.

However, from the perspective of comprehensive performance, Shepard only played two games in the summer league, and his performance was indeed not good. After that, the Rockets did not let Shepard play in the summer league again. Van Vreet's position next season is hard to shake, and he is expected to play about 35 minutes per game, and Holiday is obviously Shepard's biggest competitor. He can hold the ball, shoot three-pointers, and has a pretty good defense. In contrast, except for Shepard's ball quotient and awareness, his defense, three-point accuracy, and even his ability to confront veteran Holiday completely lost to veteran Holiday. In addition, JD Davidson, the 23-year-old double-athlete defender, is expected to be difficult for Shepard to make a comeback next season.

In fact, it is enough for the Rockets to use Van Vreet, Holiday and Davidson as point guards. The Rockets have given Shepard enough time, but he did not perform as he deserved in the regular season, playoffs, and even this summer's summer league. When the Suns asked for Shepard, Manager Stone should have traded him quickly.

The Rockets have missed the best trading window. If the Rockets had caught Shepard at the time, Dillon Brooks might have stayed in the team, but the Rockets still chose to send veteran Dillon away, leaving Shepard to trust. If Shepard can't play next season, the Rockets can only trade him.