Yea, I figured he would have good athleticism numbers. It's impossible to put together the type of defensive performances he was putting together if he was undersized and unathletic. I still feel like having a 6'3 wingspan is going to limit his effectiveness in the nba. There are players that can just shoot clean over him. So, I think he has to deliver on high volume efficient shooting on NBA level defense. That's still possible.
Sheppard will have challenges contesting shots, though, on a closeout, he's got enough vertical to affect someone's timing. Sheppard must master what FVV has done: getting to the ball early, between the ground and a shooter's shoulders. I had a coach who used to say, "Everyone is the same height when they dribble." It's true; players with a size disadvantage like Stockton, CP3, Curry, and Nash (to a much lesser extent) can offer defensive resistance. It's just tougher and requires tons of preparation and anticipation.
His stroke reminds me of Klay Thompson. Very repeatable and consistent. I think it'll play well in the NBA.
They'll be posted later. There was apparently a screw up with data that was posted earlier where the numbers were all wrong or for the wrong players. Oops.
That’s a nice way of saying he is longer, harder, better at finishing than FVV. Will make for a sexy backcourt!
My thoughts on Reed Sheppard: From viewing his videos, his horizontal movement is not impressive. In the NBA, he won't beat players off the dribble to create his own shot and on the other end he'll be an easy "blow by" for most PGs & SGs. Those two things together are lethal. He's the kind of player opponents can press every inch of the floor because he won't be able to punish them for it. He'll also be mercilessly abused in PnRs. His 42" vertical doesn't mean much. It's not like he'll be finishing hard at the rim or rebounding in traffic in the NBA. Did he do these often in college? Comparing him to Steph is so silly. He's closer to Jimmer except I think his head is probably screwed on tighter than Jimmer's was. He seems to have a high b-ball IQ, sees the floor and is unselfish. Conclusion: IMO, Reed Sheppard has a very limited upside and may never be a starter in the NBA. At some point in his career, he might become a rotation player on a championship contender. At #3, Rockets need to swing for the fences for a player with a high upside.
There are some questions, but the combination of insane shot with obvious top level feel for the game and huge competitive fire makes it very hard to miss on him, at worst he's a very good rotation / situational starter. at best if he really figures out his on ball game it's going to be a generational everyone laugh at every team that pass him for a decade sort of situation.
This kid is just really freaking good at basketball. After all, no other freshman guard in the Sports Reference database has averaged at least 10.0 points per game with a Defensive BPM of 4.0 or higher while also shooting at least 45.0% from three and having an effective field goal percentage of 65.0% or higher. https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/274845/NBA-Draft-Report-Reed-Sheppard-Of-Kentucky
Draft Reed Sheppard. We would regret it forever if we don't. My biggest fear is that Atlanta or Washington wise up and take him.
I think expecting RS to blow by guys and create a play is a huge misuse of his existing skills. No, he's not taking Russell Westbrook off the dribble. But he would take Westbrook into a PnR or dribble handoff and read the play. In that moment when Westbrook inevitably tries to force a mistake, RS would calmly find the open guy, or when the D sags off, shoot the ball with confidence. RS would be a great option when the ball rotates to him after a double team has collapsed on Sengun in the post. He won't brick the uncontested 3. When Jalen Green finds an opening, RS is a perfect option on the wing or in the corner. And any hard closeout becomes a numbers advantage that I can feel comfortable that he'll make a good decision. Sheppard's agility numbers put him in the middle of the pack as a PG in terms of quickness. Yes, many guys can be physical and beat him off the dribble, but this isn't Matt Maloney or even Mark Price. This is Reed Sheppard. He's going to be in the right place and take good angles. I see him picking up Udoka's team concepts in the first practice. Does Sheppard have a franchise-altering upside? Lol. Probably not. But in this draft, he's a solid option at #3. And it is possible that Washington or Atlanta see his upside and choose to blow up their rosters to find a place for him. That seems like a huge risk, so my best guess today is that he'll be on the board at #3.
