The Houston Rockets went to Oklahoma City and took on the defending champions on Opening Night of the 2025-26 NBA season. As Spurs fans await their own debut on Wednesday night, they got to watch a highly competetive double-overtime game, they were reminded of the time the Rockets gifted the Spurs exactly what they needed.
The San Antonio Spurs are always happy to cheer on any difficulty for the Houston Rockets, be it a loss or a poor decision. While it's still early, all of the signs suggest that Houston chose the wrong player when they drafted Reed Sheppard third overall in the 2024 NBA Draft -- or at least, that in the process they let the perfect draft prospect fall right into the Spurs' laps.
There was plenty of intrigue at the top of the 2024 NBA Draft because there was no obvious superstar player. Zacherie Risacher and Alex Sarr went 1-2 largely because they fit in, less so because each drafter was landing a franchise savior.
The Houston Rockets held the third pick, and they had a plethora of options available to them. They landed on Reed Sheppard, an undersized combo guard with shooting chops and creation upside. That left Connecticut guard Stephon Castle on the board for the Spurs to take at No. 4.
Sheppard vs Castle will be a thing
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Their rookie seasons ended with Castle well out in front. Sheppard played sparingly on a 52-win Rockets team with solid guard depth, while Castle played as many minutes as he could handle and won Rookie of the Year. Heading into this season, however, it was an open question as to whether Sheppard could close the gap.
The Spurs added a former All-Star in De'Aaron Fox and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in Dylan Harper to their backcourt over the last eight months, likely decreasing Castle's role moving forward. At the same time, Houston's starting point guard, Fred VanVleet, is likely to miss the entire season after tearing his ACL.
With the opportunity opening up for Sheppard, could he close the gap? Would Spurs fans begin to wonder if they did indeed have the right guy in Castle?
One game in and those fears seem foolish under the spotlights of Opening Night. Sheppard was asked to play a significant role for the Houston Rockets against the defending champions, and he fell flat on his face. The second-year guard played a large role off the bench during most of regulation and then had to step up when Amen Thompson left the game with cramps.
There were flashes. He had a couple of great passes. He competed on defense. He hit a pair of 3-pointers. Yet overall, his game was not up the level that the Rockets need it to be, nor that Castle showed last season. Sheppard shot 3-for-11 from the field with just four assists in his 28 minutes.
It was one game. The Spurs have yet to make their season debut. There is plenty more to be written about Sheppard, Castle and the 2024 NBA Draft class. One game in for Sheppard, however, and the contrast continues to be stark. San Antonio got a player with the physical tools and the mental strength to be all that they need him to be; his shooting will come or it won't, but everything else is ready.
And that team-up would never have happened were it not for the Houston Rockets. They dropped a gift right in the Spurs' lap, and that reality was only amplified by Sheppard's struggles on opening night.