Respective NBA analyst makes unnecessarily bold statement about Reed Sheppard

A respective NBA analyst makes an unnecessarily bold statement about Houston Rockets rookie guard Reed Sheppard.

During the NBA's Summer League, Reed Sheppard was one of the huge standouts from this year's rookie class. He finished his stint with the Houston Rockets summer league team by averaging 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, and nearly three steals per game on good shooting percentages. The argument could be made that Sheppard was one of the best players in all of summer league.

But what separated Sheppard from the rest of the players this offseason went well beyond the stat sheet. Sheppard looked like he fit from the opening tip. No nerves. Not a ton of mistakes. No hesitance. Sheppard looked like a seasoned NBA player who had no business playing in summer league.

The hype that Sheppard managed to build during his summer league stint has certainly stuck with him as we inch closer to the start of the season. Interestingly enough, Sheppard has predictably looked a bit more human through two pre-season games with the Rockets - averaging eight points, four rebounds, and three assists per game.

But that hasn't stopped his hype all that much. In fact, in the words of respective NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh, Sheppard is the closest thing he's seen to Stephen Curry in a long time.

The pressure on Reed Sheppard to perform

This is a pretty bold statement but in fairness to Haberstroh, he did preface by saying he isn't Curry. But that his game is the closest thing he's seen to it. While there is some correlation that can be found, this is something that can get out of hand quickly.

There's no question that Sheppard has the potential to be a really good player. The tools he's already shown are impressive. And if he can carry the efficiency he displayed in college to the NBA level, Sheppard is going to draw those lofty comparisons.

But Sheppard is also a rookie who is not even going to be a starter to begin the season. And his "struggles" through two pre-season games should tell us that perhaps we should slow down on the Sheppard hype train.

From all indications, Sheppard is going to develop into a good player in the NBA. But the comparisons to Curry or any other All-Star player before he's actually logged a regular-season minute in the league is pretty unnecessary.