Including Shepard, who has not yet been signed, the Rockets' official roster already has 14 players.
Among them, Tate, Jeff Green and Landale could be reduced to trade chips, and the rest of the players are playable. Theoretically, the Rockets could rotate 11 people.
Five starters: point guard Van Jordan, shooting guard Jalen Green, small forward Dillon, power forward Smith Jr., center Alperen Sengun.
Six subs: Amen, Shepard, Whitmore, Ethan, Adams and AJ Griffin.
Rockets general manager Stone considers Shepard to be the best rookie of the tournament, and he's happy with the results of the draft.
A number of well-known American media have given the Rockets draft an A, believing that Shepard will quickly integrate and plug and play when he goes to Houston.
Shepard has a high emotional intelligence, and he praised the Rockets in an interview for being full of talent and having a promising future, and Jalen Green for being very strong.
If the Rockets are still rebuilding in the first phase, Shepard will undoubtedly get plenty of playing time, and he's exactly the consistent three-point shooter Silas wants.
However, the Rockets are currently in the second phase of a rebuild, and the head coach trusts the veteran Udoka to be quite strict with the younger players. As things stand, Shepard will face competition in the new season, and he may not be able to play more than 20 minutes per game, so he will naturally not be able to compete for next season's Rookie of the Year award.
Looking at the latest odds on the best rookie, Shepard is only seventh, ahead of him by Sarr, Risa Shee, Castle, Kneckt, Salon, Zach Eddie.
Houston media outlet SpaceCityScoop predicts Shepard will average 6.8 points, 2 assists and 0.8 steals in 18.3 minutes per game next season, shooting 39% from three-point range.
The American media believes that Udoka will initially use Shepard as Aaron Holiday
Aaron Holiday averaged 6.6 points, 1.8 assists and 0.5 steals in 16.3 minutes per game last season, shooting 38.7% from three-point range.
Standing just 1.83m, Aaron Holiday seized the opportunity last season to win Udoka's favor and become a substitute. However, his talent was limited and his form was inconsistent, and Udoka considered bringing in a backup point guard before the trade deadline, but Stone eventually gave up.
Ahead of the draft, Houston Fagan thought the Rockets might consider re-signing Aaron Holiday to a contract. But things have changed now, and the Rockets have selected their favorite Shepard, who overlaps with Aaron Holiday in the spotlight.
Aaron Holiday also has a chance to get a job when he leaves the Rockets, and an NBA reporter broke the news that the Nuggets are interested in him.
Holiday could free up space for Shepard, and Rockets general manager Stone thinks his shooting could help the team.
Shepard's size would be at a disadvantage on the defensive end, but his ball IQ and tactical execution would theoretically be better than Holiday due to his high ball intelligence and tactical execution.