Reed Sheppard Enters Starting Five for Friday's Clash with Portland

Reed Sheppard will start in Friday's game against the Trail Blazers with teammate Jabari Smith sidelined due to an ankle injury. As a starter this season across nine games, the second-year guard has averaged 16.0 points, 4.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 combined steals-plus-blocks in 31.7 minutes per game. Sheppard is expected to see significant usage as the Rockets navigate the second leg of their back-to-back set.