Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard was initially listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. Sheppard picked up a knee injury in Wednesday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Heading into Friday’s matchup, Sheppard appears to be leaning toward sitting out.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said Reed Sheppard is “unlikely to play tonight after bumping his knee” in the win over Dallas. It will be the first game Sheppard has missed since the 2024-25 season. The 22-year-old appeared in all 82 games for the Rockets last season.
Reed Sheppard’s Injury Labeled as ‘Left Knee Contusion/Bone Bruise’
Reed Sheppard played just 16 minutes in the Rockets’ 128-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. He finished with three points, two rebounds, and four assists on 1-6 shooting.
Heading into Friday’s contest, the NBA’s official injury report labeled Sheppard’s injury a left knee contusion/bone bruise.
His limited minutes don’t appear to be due to the injury. Instead, Houston added frontcourt depth this offseason. Fred VanVleet returned from missing all of 2025-26 with a torn ACL. Meanwhile, the Rockets added Marcus Smart in free agency.
These roster changes may leave Sheppard as the odd man out of the Rockets’ main rotation. Wednesday’s 16 minutes were a significant drop from the 26.2 minutes per game he averaged in 2025-26.
After being selected No. 3 overall in 2024, Sheppard had nearly no role in Houston’s offense during his rookie season. In his sophomore campaign, Fred VanVleet went down, making Sheppard the next man up.
Across 82 games (21 starts) last season, Sheppard averaged 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
Steven Adams Labeled as ‘Game-time Decision’ vs. Spurs
After missing the second half of the 2025-26 season with ankle surgery, Steven Adams faced an early setback heading into 2026-27.
The injury is labeled as right calf tightness/soreness. He couldn’t suit up for the Rockets’ season opener on Wednesday.
Ime Udoka said Adams will be a “game-time decision” for Friday’s game against the Spurs. If he can’t play, Udoka may rely on Clint Capela as the backup behind Alperen Sengun.
Adams has not played since suffering an ankle injury that required surgery in January.
Rockets Announced Reed Sheppard Injury Designation vs. Spurs