"[Since] we inserted him into the starting lineup, he has made a lot of strides," coach Chan Gailey said of Sheppard. "Where he has got to continue to get better at is just understanding the whole concept of [the] defense and becoming a better communicator in there. Taking more charge, which is hard for a rookie, because he doesn’t know. So I think this experience will really help him develop as a player, to become what we hoped he would be when we drafted him."’