Thrust into the largest role of his young NBA career, Reed Sheppard showed that he was not ready for it in the Houston Rockets' season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On Tuesday, Sheppard, who has become the sixth man and first true guard off the bench for Houston following Fred VanVleet's ACL injury last month, looked utterly outmatched against the defending NBA champions.

In nearly 27:47 of action, Sehppard had 9 points, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, and went 3-for-11 from the field and 2-for-7 on 3-pointers. And on the defensive end, the 6-foot-2 guard couldn't keep up with the Thunder, who specifically sought him out in their actions.

The performance was roundly criticized by fans and media members alike, and Bill Simmons , once a Sheppard believer, was particularly blun

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