After going on a 3-0 run during the first week of the 2026-2027 season, the Houston Rockets sit at the top of the Western Conference standings. One of the victories came against the reigning conference champion San Antonio Spurs.

While Kevin Durant is still an elite scorer at 38 years old, Houston’s early success can also be attributed to a young core. The main standouts include Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun. Looking at the small sample of games played, the question is which Rockets player is ready to make a leap this season.

One player who has shown great promise of raising his ceiling is the 22-year-old Reed Sheppard. Getting his first start of the season on Saturday night, Sheppard totaled 19 points and seven assists over 30 minutes. He went 5-for-11 from three-point range.

With Fred VanVleet as the starting point guard and Marcus Smart being utilized as a backup, Sheppard may not show great improvement without an increase in minutes. However, after finishing in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, he has shown that he is ready for a rotational promotion.

Here are the opinions from other writers at OnSi.

Amir Motameni

“I'm going with Jabari Smith Jr. The Rockets have a lot of talented players on their roster, especially in their starting lineup, so realistically, Jabari isn't always going to get the touches or usage you'd like to see. 

So far this season, he looks much more comfortable and confident. He is getting to his spots, and his teammates are setting him up with good looks. 

I think Jabari has another level to his game that we haven't fully seen yet. If he can become more consistent offensively while continuing to improve defensively, that's a huge development for Houston. I can see him averaging around 18 points per game and that would be a nice boost for the Rockets. He just needs to be consistent and reliable and the Rockets can go far.”

Ethan J. Skolnick

"Tend to agree that Jabari Smith is the player with the most room for growth, and his ascent to a second scorer on some nights, particularly against good opponents, would take the Rockets to another level.

But let's go off the board and say that it's still Alperen Sengun, even as he's started the season by averaging a stellar 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Sengun competing at the highest level with the best centers in the West, like Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic and Chet Holmgren, is what will be needed for the Rockets to advance need into the playoffs.

This may be the season that happens."