8 three-pointers + 8 assists in 2 games! Did the Rockets find a substitute for Van Jordan? White + Morant stepped aside

After seeing some of the previous performances of the Rockets, many people believe that the Rockets cannot rely on the two young point guards Amen Thompson and Shepard to organize the offense and connect the team because their performance is not stable. Sometimes they can provide a lot of assists and can reach VanVleet's level in connecting the team; but in many head-to-head games, such as games against the Spurs, Pistons and Thunder, the performance of these two core point guards was not particularly good.

At this time, many people will miss VanVleet's commanding ability on the court. But the problem now is that VanVleet will not be able to return for at least a year, and the Rockets simply cannot afford to wait. Many experts believe that the Rockets should plan some big trades now to pursue the Grizzlies' leading point guard Morant, or the Celtics' recent average point guard Derrick White.

In many simulated transactions, Shepard, Ethan, and even veteran VanVleet will be included, and the Rockets will have to send away valuable first-round picks to get one of White or Morant. But the Rockets are unmoved now. It was previously reported that although the Rockets are paying attention to Morant, they have no next step plan.

In other words, the Rockets don't want to change the status quo at all, and they don't want to trade Morant immediately. On the one hand, Morant's annual salary of about US$40 million is unaffordable for the Rockets; on the other hand, Morant is a thorny player in the team. Uduka needs players who are obedient, willing to implement tactics and observe discipline. Morant is not his first choice.

White is more like a 3D defender, and his organizational skills are also very average. By replacing White, the Rockets will not only have to send more chips, but White's passing ability is not much better than Shepard and Amen Thompson. But now the Rockets can rest easy for the time being, because 21-year-old point guard Shepard has performed at an All-Star level in the last two games.

Although the Rockets have 1 win and 1 loss in the last two games, Shepard scored 16 points in each of the two games, a total of 32 points, and made 8 three-pointers. He made 8 of 13 three-pointers, with a very high shooting percentage. After two games, Sheppard sent a total of 8 assists. As a backup point guard, 8 assists in two games is quite impressive. Moreover, Shepard only made 3 turnovers in the two games. He played more than 50 minutes in the two games and only made 3 turnovers. This shows that he is becoming more and more stable in passing and controlling.

There are fewer mistakes, higher efficiency, and the three-point shooting rate has been improving rapidly. What the Rockets need now is not the two All-Star point guards in White or Morant. They need more time to let Sheppard, Amen Thompson, and even the fourth point guard Davidson grow quickly to make up for the loopholes caused by VanVleet's absence.

Now, at least judging from the past two games, the Rockets have found VanVleet's first substitute, and that is Shepard. Amen Thompson is more focused on defense and breakthroughs, while Shepard can pass, control and shoot. He has been using his brain to play on the court and has a very high golf IQ. Therefore, Shepard is very likely to become the next VanVleet. Although the two have different styles of play, Shepard has shown the potential to be a ball-handling core in the last two games.

So for the time being, White and Morant need to step aside, and the Rockets do not need them for the time being. Focusing on developing Shepard is Uduka's top priority.