Reed Sheppard on Kevin Durant trade and playing a second season at Summer League | NBA Today

Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard joins me on NBA Today to discuss his reaction to Kevin Durant joining the team, playing a second season at NBA Summer League, his offseason workouts and more.
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last year’s number three overall pick, Reed Shepard. Reed, thank you so much for spending a little time with us today. Thank you guys for having me on. I’m We really appreciate it. I’m always excited. We were talking in the break when a player, especially a top pick, decides to come back and play a second year at summer league, no matter how big or how small their role was in in the regular season in playoffs for their team the year before. What made you want to come back and play again and work on that skill set? Yeah, I think the biggest thing is just I love basketball. Um, you know, being able to come back and play, it’s just it’s just a lot of fun. you you get a workout all summer being in the gym doing that. But being able to come out here and play against uh different players and just get up and down the court is always fun. We mentioned Kevin Durant. We were all watching the highlights together leading into this segment. What did you think when you heard he was going to be your teammate? How do you think you could compliment him? Yeah, I mean obviously when I saw it, uh it was it was really cool for me. Um you know, I’ve grew up watching him my whole life, so it’s kind of crazy now that I’m going to be uh playing with him. Uh, you know, he’s just a tremendous great score. Um, really can do anything. He’s great winner. Um, so it’s going to be really fun. I’m really excited to play with him. Kachams, in bringing Kevin to the Rockets, there were certain players that Houston said, “No, no, they cannot be a part of this deal.” Yeah. So, Ree, now that we have you here, I’d love to get your take. So, obviously, you were top pick last year. Um, your role es and flowed. You had injury as well, but you’re on a top two seed finding your place. Now you’re going to enter this year in a bigger role, but this offseason teams inquire with the Rockets ask about you. The Suns I I was told asked about you. You were made untouchable in those conversations. So what do you feel when you hear that? What kind of motivation does it give you? How do you feel just about where you stand right now? Yeah, I think it’s I think it’s really cool. Um, you know, for me, this is my first year dealing with all the offseason, the trades. Um, so it’s kind of crazy seeing seeing all of it go down. Um, but like you said, hearing some of that stuff is is pretty cool. It gives me a lot of confidence. Um, just going into the gym. Uh, continue to work on everything I’ve been working on this summer. Um, just getting better and just really looking forward to the season and trying to help as much as I can. Is that something like the GM tells you like, “Hey, listen. Like a team called about you, but we’re not trading you. Like you’re good. You’re untouchable.” Like, did you hear that verbatim? Uh, no, not really. Um, all right. So, I’m telling you. No, now you get to break that news. That’s why he’s smiling. See, this is I mean, I want that moniker, right? You’re you are untouchable as a player. You are one of the best shooters that we’ve seen. You were incredible last year. It was so much fun to watch you. Now Kevin Durant’s on your team. Are you still the best shooter here on the Houston Rockets? I don’t know. I got to I got to I got to prove it a little bit first. Uh he’s proved it for a while. So it’ll be fun to have some shooting competitions with him, though. Well, Reed, I want to give you your flowers cuz I’m a huge fan. Um I know about your 49 points in 37 minutes in the in the G-League. Cooking with no grease out there. But as great of a scorer as you are, I look at that roster. I look at Kevin Durant. I look at Jabari Smith. I look at Sangun. I look at other guys that can put the basketball in the hole. You do not want to be a guy in this league that if he’s not making shots, we have to take him out the game. What are you looking to add to that team that if it’s a night where it’s not your night, it’s Kevin’s night, it’s Van Fleet night, it’s this guy’s night. What are you looking to add to make sure, hey, I’m still in a rotation. I’m still going to help us win this basketball game. And I’m going to prove that to the coaching staff. Yeah, for sure. I think the biggest thing this summer was getting in the weight room and uh defensively just working on defense. like we had probably a two to three week stretch. I was just my workouts were straight defense. Like I wasn’t touching the basketball the first 40 minutes. It wasn’t very fun, but you know some things we got it done. So like just working on that stuff. Um you know still getting up shots and ball handling and all that, but really just working on being stronger and uh getting more physical. By the way, that footage we were just showing was from him cooking in the G- League in that game. You listen and and I love that you’re working on your defense cuz I’m going to tell you a secret in this league. We pick on white shooters. No, we do. We hunt you guys. We hunt you guys. You know this. We will hunt white shooters in the league and we’ll pick on you defensively. So, I love that you working on defense all summer. I never heard about that. You didn’t know that? 40. No, no, no. 40 minutes of just straight defense in workouts. I knew about that part that part. That sound like Amy and Doker, though. I’m not surprised with Can we get you Can we hit you with some quick hitters before we let you go here, Reed? We know you got some stuff to prepare for here. All right. I’m I’m wondering since we’re here in Las Vegas, nightclub, pool party, what’s the vibe? pool party. It’s You got to have a pool here. Especially here. It’s 110 degrees here in Las Vegas. If you needed a game winner, if you needed a walk-off shot, both your parents played college ball. You handing the rock to mom or you handing the rock to dad? I’m giving it to mom. There you all. Reed, we really really appreciate the time. Thank you so much for stopping by NBA today. Uh we wanted to Reed has has seen so many highlights from summer league, but now that it’s here, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the best plays of summer league all time and see what could be added to the collection here. First in 2007, this is Rudy Gay going baseline for the poster on the defender. Watch this. It’s grainy, but it’s good. Rudy Gay. [Music] That’s Wayne Gi. He used to play with us for a while. Damn. My bad, Wayne. And then we go to 2010 here. Javale McGee. Young J. That was nice. That was nice. And then this is 2019 here. Jackson Hayes with some hang time. I think I saw that live actually. Yeah, you don’t take charges in summer league. Next in 2012 here. Damen Lillard. We certainly hope he gets better soon. We should have known at this point. Dame time was here. This before he could afford a rolly though. This before he could afford a roll. around with a little starter watch, right? We go to 2016 here. Dlo’s had some clutch shots too over his career. The This is a little foreshadowing. DL 2016 summer league was like the first enormous summer league ice in his veins. 2017 Jason Tatum shooting the gamewinning jumper and then he did the Kobe. Would you hit the Kobe in summer league? Did I do it? Would you do it at the celebration if you hit a big shot like that? All right, let’s go to 2012 here. Bag work. That’s like the Jeremy. That’s tough. That’s nice. That’s tough. That’s like a street ball move right there. 2010 J.R. Smith. Showing his hands. Tough layup there. Put him in the blender. 2024. Man, man. This was nice, too. I saw this one. I remember that one. That was insane. when the when the announcers are reacting like that, that’s when you know that’s when you know that you really got it. Uh Reed, what are you your just your mindset before we let you go officially heading into these summer league games? You’re about to suit up here coming up. Yeah, I think just coming out and playing with a lot of confidence. Um having fun, you know, this is this is so much fun being able to play in this environment. So just coming out having fun, just enjoying every minute of it. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]