Reed Sheppard and Cason Wallace have been putting up big numbers this week

The next great batch of NBA guards from the University of Kentucky has been making their mark this week. Houston’s Reed Sheppard and Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace continue to put together big-time statlines for their respective playoff-bound teams.

We’ll start with Sheppard, who hit double-digits in scoring for the eighth straight game on Thursday night. The second-year point guard dropped 20 points in the Rockets’ 113-108 road win over the Orlando Magic, tacking on four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks for good measure. At one point, Sheppard and Kevin Durant went on a run where they scored or assisted on 21 straight Houston points. A 19-point deficit for the Rockets in the third quarter turned into a lead after just four minutes. His dagger three with 22 seconds to go in the fourth gave Houston a seven-point lead.

But it was Sheppard’s performance the night before that had the NBA world buzzing.

The former Wildcat popped off for 28 points on a career-high seven made three-pointers in a 128-97 blowout victory against the lowly Sacramento Kings. It was just Sheppard’s seventh start of the season, one that resulted in Houston’s largest win of the 2025-26 campaign. His incredible offensive skillset is slowly beginning to outweigh his defensive deficiencies. And Houston’s head coach appears to be seeing the same thing. Sheppard has averaged 27.4 minutes per outing over his last eight contests. The Rockets (currently third in the West at 37-21) went 6-2 in those games.

After a poor rookie season, sophomore Reed Sheppard is turning into an offensive star. Durant loves him. Sheppard is still only 21 years old. He’s going to have a game or two in the playoffs when the entire basketball world learns his name.

Cason Wallace stepping up as PG1

Meanwhile, most of the basketball world already knows about Cason Wallace after his run alongside MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to last year’s NBA Finals. But Wallace is trying to prove he might be more than just a secondary guard for the Thunder. He’s done just that while Gilgeous-Alexander has been sidelined due to an abdominal strain. In the nine games that SGA (who is expected to make his return on Friday night) has missed, Wallace happily stepped up as PG1.

Wallace, only 22 years old, has averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and two steals in 31.2 minutes per outing over his last nine. OKC went 5-4 in those games to stay atop the Western Confernce standings with an overall record of 45-15. Wallace has had some ups and downs during this stretch, but his last three games have been special. He dropped 20 points and 10 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, a career-high 27 points (plus seven assists and eight rebounds) against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, then another 23 points and five assists on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.

Labeled as a defense-first guard, Wallace is beginning to show off his offensive skillset. He shot 11-19 from deep over the last three contests and went 16-31 on his twos. SGA’s absence might end up being a blessing in disguise as OKC looks to repeat as champions. Wallace is fully capable of running the show for short stints while the MVP favorite catches his breath. He’s going to a fun watch come the playoffs.

Don’t forget about Tyrese Maxey!

Tyrese Maxey is already a well-established multi-time All-Star for the Philadelphia 76ers at 25 years old, but despite his young age, he’s setting franchise records. After shooting 5-12 from deep in Thursday night’s 124-117 win over the Miami Heat, Maxey is now the Sixers’ all-time leader in three-pointers made with 886, surpassing the legendary Allen Iverson (885) along the way.

After taking another leap with his game this season, Maxey has Philly at 33-26, good enough for sixth in the East. He’s averaging 29.1 points, 6.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 steals (all career-highs!!) per outing while playing more minutes (38.4 per game) than anybody else in the entire league. These young Kentucky guards have at least another decade worth of dominance left in the tank.

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