Due to the rise of White Demon Whitmore, the Rockets placed Shepard in the Development League. Today, Shepard made his debut against the Thunder's affiliate team. Ultimately, the Rockets' affiliate Vipers lost 125-130. However, Shepard's performance was impeccable; he scored 49 points with 17 out of 33 shots, including 8 out of 19 three-pointers, and contributed 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. This 49-point haul is also the second-highest score in the Development League this year. In the first half, Shepard was still adapting to the game and only managed 16 points, but in the second half, he exploded for 33 points, including 27 in the final quarter, nearly leading a comeback. In the Development League, Shepard truly demonstrated his talent, confidently shooting threes on offense, with mid-range jumpers and layups as well. He organized plays by threading passes across the court and creating opportunities for his teammates using pick-and-rolls. Defensively, Shepard was ever-present, becoming the Vipers' lockdown defender. We previously mentioned that Shepard should have gone to the Development League earlier because he wasn't yet adapted to the NBA's intensity. He was strong in the Summer League due to his physical capabilities. The reason for his strength was that Shepard could keep up physically, but in the NBA, he became a target for everyone's training. Despite Udoka giving him ample time, Shepard failed to explode in any game since the start of the season, instead performing poorly. He lacked confidence on offense and became a weak point defensively for the Rockets. Udoka had no choice but to use…