Reed Sheppard’s diving behind-the-back assist is NBA’s best pass this season

The Houston Rockets rookie made an incredible play against the Trail Blazers.

Reed Sheppard wasn’t supposed to be a one-and-done prospect, but his freshman season at Kentucky was so outstanding that it vaulted him to the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Houston Rockets selected Sheppard for his knockdown shooting, strong feel for the game, and razor-sharp hands that specialized in forcing turnovers. While he’s struggling to carve out rotation minutes on a deep and talented Rockets team to start his rookie year, he reminded everyone of why he was such a high pick with one special play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

As the Rockets were blowing out the Blazers in the third quarter, Sheppard stripped Rayan Rupert on a drive to the basket, chased down the loose ball, and then dove into the stands while firing a behind-the-back pass that landed perfectly in the hands of teammate Tari Eason for an easy dunk. Watch the play here:

Sheppard is tiny for an NBA player at 6’2 with a 6’3 wingspan, but he’s so good in so many areas that he can overcome his lack of size. This play is a premium example of that.

While this isn’t quite as good as DeMar DeRozan’s spinning assist last season, it feels like one of the best passes this year, made even better by the great defensive play at the start of the sequence.

It would be fun to see Sheppard get more minutes, but the Rockets are playing great ball right now either way. He’s only going to have more of these highlight reel plays as his minutes increase.