Southwest Notes: Missi, Reeves, Sheppard, Castle

Amid everything that has gone wrong for the Pelicans this season, they seem to have found a long-term solution at center, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. They weren’t expecting an immediate impact from Yves Missi after he fell to the 21st pick in last year’s draft, but he’s been proving since training camp that he can contribute and may be headed for a spot on the All-Rookie team.

Guillory notes that the Pelicans were planning to open the season with a starting lineup that didn’t include a traditional center. If that didn’t work, they signed veteran big man Daniel Theis as a backup plan. But Missi quickly showed that he could handle the job, and he’s started 62 of the 68 games he’s played.

“He’s been a huge positive for us all year. Coming into the season, his role wasn’t where it is now, but he kept working, kept earning trust from the coaching staff and his teammates,” coach Willie Green said. “Even though we haven’t been that successful as a team this year, Yves’ development has been a big success for us.”

Missi is averaging 9.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 26.9 minutes per night. Guillory points out that he leads all rookies in total rebounds, is tied with Miami’s Kel’el Ware for the most double-doubles, and is behind only Portland’s Donovan Clingan in blocked shots. The injury woes that decimated the Pelicans’ season will continue, with Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy all uncertain for the start of training camp this fall, but they can count on Missi’s presence in the middle.

“It’s tough. It’s different than anything I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Missi said of his rookie season. “The funny thing is, looking back to (the start of the season), if you told me then, ‘Yeah, you’re going to do this and that during your rookie year,’ no way I would’ve believed it.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

• Rookie guard Antonio Reeves wasn’t aware that he made 12 straight shots over a recent three-game stretch, but that shooting touch is a major reason why the Pelicans drafted him, per Rod Walker of NOLA. The second-round pick has split the season between the NBA and the G League, but he’s been getting more playing time with New Orleans lately. “He’s doing fantastic,” Green said. “The thing he’s doing is building on what he already has. He really comes in and works on his shots. We see that carry over when he does play. And he’s becoming a really good defender.”
• After missing 11 straight games with a fractured right thumb, Rockets rookie guard Reed Sheppard has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s contest, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. Sheppard has been struggling to earn playing time all season, and he’s not guaranteed any minutes as Houston tries to hold on to second place in the West. “We’ll see,” coach Ime Udoka said. “(The rotation) does tighten toward the end of the season, for sure, and kind of implementing him back in there in these last eight (games) might be tough with the time he’s missed. But we also do want to see him get some live action. So whether he gets some practices in the G League or whatever it is to get that in, being that we don’t do as much here, we’ll see.”
• Spurs guard Stephon Castle continued his push for Rookie of the Year honors on Thursday with 22 points, a season-high 11 rebounds, and eight assists in a narrow loss to Cleveland, notes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. “He kept us in the game at moments,” Keldon Johnson said. “It’s only up from here. I feel like he’s already a special talent, but I feel like the sky’s the limit for Steph. I feel like the game is already slowing down for him, but once he keeps growing — he works his ass off — he’s going to be great.”