27+4+2! Don’t blame Durant and Shepard. Shepard made it clear after the game. He has the temperament of a leader.

The Rockets lost to the Nuggets 109-112, their five-game winning streak was ended, and they also lost the NBA Cup. At the same time, the ranking fell to fifth in the Western Conference. This was really a game that changed the situation. Of course, the Rockets started well with 10 wins and 4 losses. Without Van Jordan, Ethan was injured, and the electric fan has not yet made his debut. It is already very difficult for these people to win two five-game winning streaks. Moreover, in the past 12 games, the Rockets have won 10 games and developed Sheppard's talent.

In fact, it doesn't matter if the five-game winning streak is ended. Losing to the Nuggets is normal. Before the game, the US media predicted that the two teams would open at 55, not to mention that the Rockets would only lose to the top teams. This year's lower limit guarantee is still acceptable. Of course, the Rockets are indeed a little bit behind in the high-end game. Jokic really crushed Shen Jing today. In the second half, it was very intuitive that when Jokic and Shen Jing were compared together, Shen Jing was still far behind Jokic. It's a bit like Rukawa Kaede and Sendō in Slam Dunk. They seem to be going back and forth, but in fact they are still a little bit different. Just a little bit like this is enough for Shen Jing to learn.

But Shen Jing is only 23 years old after all. At the same age, Shen Jing was still better than Jokic when he was 23 years old. What's more, the Rockets have developed their own Curry. Shepard's performance in the last 10 games has a bit of a white Curry. He is becoming more and more confident, especially in his shooting mentality. Sheppard also began to show his leadership qualities. After the game, the US media listed Shen Jing and Durant for criticism. It is said that the Rockets' best duo were defeated by the Nuggets today. But Shepard had a good word for his two eldest brothers after the game.

Shepard said: "The reason why I broke out today is that the Nuggets adopted a flanking strategy against Shen Jing and Durant and chose to let me go. I don't think they have any problem. It's because they both can easily score 40 points at any time, so the opponent has to use multiple double teams. This just shows the threat of Shen Jing and Durant, but they still create opportunities for us. Yes. We just didn't handle the ball well today and didn't make correct reads at critical moments. But we won't lose confidence and we will adjust and start again as soon as possible."

Sheppard played 37 minutes as a substitute today, making 9 of 13 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws. He scored a career-high 27 points, and had 4 assists and 2 steals, with a plus-minus value of +13. Shepard has played 14 games so far this season, averaging 13.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals in just 23 minutes per game. His shooting percentage is as high as 51% and his three-point shooting percentage is a terrifying 49%. Who said that a rookie needs to wait for three years? Shepard averaged 5.9 shots per game and hit 2.9 three-pointers. This requires both production and quality.

For the Rockets, Shepard is fulfilling his talent of being No. 1 pick in 24 years, which is an unexpected surprise. At that time, Shepard was evaluated as the player most likely to become a super giant in 24 years. During this offseason, the Rockets traded with the Suns. The Suns asked for Sheppard, but the Rockets directly refused. Management Stone and head coach Uduka understand this. Shepard is actually in his first year as a rookie this year because he didn't have much time last season, but in his limited starts, Shepard averaged 20 points and 5 assists per game.

Why did the Rockets send away White Devil Whitmore? It's just that his defensive attitude is not good. Sheppard has defensive awareness, but lacks confrontation, but he has worked hard to improve confrontation while maintaining his touch. Sheppard's defense ranks among the top 20 in the league this season, so don't think of him as a weakness. There was something about Sheppard's interception, just like Paul, who was ruthless. The most important thing is that Shepard has a bad character. After today's game, US media BrickCenter revealed that Shepard said dirty words to Hardaway Jr. after hitting a three-pointer in the third quarter today. We have reason to believe that Shepard will become an offensive and defensive defender this season. After all, he spent all the offseason in the gym and gained 15 pounds.