LeBron James has earned his stripes.
He has a longer rope than almost any NBA player. This is perhaps the best player in NBA history. He’s got this writer’s vote, and this writer can vaguely recall Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls, so…
Well, unless you’re in your late 70s, you don’t recall Bill Russell’s prime anyway.
Let’s stick to the present. LeBron James gave Reed Sheppard a little shove in the last Rockets-Lakers game. Nobody flinched. Consider it a badge of honor for the young
guard. If Sheppard was bothered, it didn’t show:
He proceeded to win the game for the Rockets.
It was a redemptive arc. Sheppard has been, to use technical language, not good in the 2025-26 NBA Playoffs.
Ime Udoka needs to trust him anyway.
Rockets need to lean on Sheppard
It’s been a season-long story. The Rockets have a desperate need for shooting and ball-handling. Sheppard provides plenty of the former…and more of the latter than Josh Okogie.
Yet, it’s not offense that has limited Sheppard’s opportunities. It’s the other end of the floor. Sheppard is a short guard. He is an undeniable liability on defense.
Udoka needs to play him anyway.
If anything, this series is a golden opportunity to test Sheppard’s postseason meddle (side note: Does anyone use the word “meddle” unless it’s being tested?). The Lakers are not exactly flush with guards whom he can’t handle. Amen Thompson has been dealing with Luke Kennard. Austin Reaves is currently something closer to The Ghost of Austin Reaves, and time will tell whether he can get right in Game Six. Marcus Smart is, and always has been, Marcus Smart.
Granted, postseason defense is not generally as simple as man-to-man. The Lakers have been hunting Sheppard, and rightly so. They’ll screen their way to a James crossmatch all night.
OK. How’s that working out? In Game Five, the Lakers scored a whopping 93 points. Thompson finally took Kennard out of the game. Reaves was rusty. The Rockets dared James to shoot. He won’t go 0/6 from deep regularly, but turning James into a shooter has always been the optimal strategy, and like lemonade’s status as a popular drink, it still is.
Simply put, without Luka Doncic, the Lakers just don’t have that much juice (or lemonade for the sake of thematic consistency). Their 107.6 Offensive Rating through this series is 12th out of 15 playoff teams. The issue is that the Rockets’ 9th-place 109.4 rating isn’t much better.
Let’s take a sidebar to talk about Ime Udoka. Frankly, the pendulum has swung too far in the negative direction. Udoka’s offensive playbook is relatively rudimentary, but results-wise, what he’s done with this team is ultimately commendable.
But dear God, the man is stubborn. When it comes to defense, Udoka is like an obsessive dictator. Were those 93 points too many? Udoka wants what, 85-73 victories? Are we recreating the Spurs/Pistons Finals? Adam Silver will not like that. He may change the rules to outlaw defending shots within three feet.
So, why not try to score a few more points?
Rockets’ offense needs Sheppard
To be clear, this isn’t a harsh criticism of Udoka. Sheppard is averaging 31.2 minutes per game in this series. All that’s being suggested here is that he needs to be on the floor during any pivotal moment in Game Six (and hopefully, Game Seven).
More to the point, Sheppard has struggled to shoot the ball in this series. Yet, the offense hums when he’s on the floor. Sheppard is a better point guard than Amen Thompson, and the mere threat of his shooting changes the way the Lakers play defense. Relying on Sheppard gives the Rockets the best chance at making history and completing the first 0-3 comeback in NBA history.
Yet, there’s a bigger picture reason to play Sheppard. He’s 21. If he’s part of the future, he needs these reps. If he’s trade fodder, he needs to showcase his value.
If the data and eye test alike didn’t suggest that Sheppard is helping the Rockets win, that argument would not hold water. If the Rockets had acquired a point guard at the deadline, it’s possible that they’d be better off playing that point guard. They do, and they didn’t, so in Game Six, Udoka needs to put his full trust in Sheppard.
Even if LeBron James is hunting him.
