This forum is so odd. Last year everyone was thirsting over another midget with nothing but athleticism, and now so many are potting another athletic midget with actual basketball skills for being a midget, despite having FVV as the teams highest paid player. Bruh. Take the dude who shoots like Klay while having elite D metrics please.
Castle was one of the best in all the shooting drills in the combine. Why do people say he is a bad shooter?
No, I'm not sure ANYONE in this class will be a star, but Sheppard should have a fairly high floor given his skills. He should walk in day one as by far the best shooter on the team and could easily be the catalyst for opening up the court for the rest of the team. It's pretty hard to double Sengun if you have Sheppard, Cam, and Smith hanging out on the outside ready to knock down an open 3. I'm looking at what the player adds to the team, I'm not assuming stardom, though that is certainly possible.
Ok I looked up his college stats. 20/75 3 pointers for 26.7%. Not a really big sample size. He probably shot more than that in the draft combine. LOL
Because he was in the games. Everyone said Dwight Howard was awesome shooting FT's in practice, didn't amount to much. Now, I'm not discounting the possibility that he has improved, but it's super risky to draft a forward guard tweener who doesn't feel comfortable shooting the ball. I mean, we did this when we drafted Amen, but Amen is light years ahead of Castle physically. I just don't see how getting another long term project helps the Rockets.
I know shooting drills are of course different from real game situations. But I doubt a really bad shooter can go from 26.7% to 72% in drills. If shooting drills are so easy, you’d think Sheppard should be in the 90% range…
Same with Knecht. Being 6'6.5 he has an even higher floor than RS and you have 3 yrs of good percentage shooting on high volume to back it up. Not sure why with RS you aren't assuming stardom but with Knecht he sucks because he won't be a star lol wut.
They were proven wrong for wanting the midget. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat them. FVV wasnt taken with top 3 he was signed in free agency. He also doesn't put us over the top and people are looking to upgrade so why you want a younger version of him I don't know.
That's not how that works, you can't substitute 4 inches in height for skill and 4 years of age. Knecht was a defensive liability in college and he'll be an even greater defensive liability in the NBA, he's not a passer, he's not a rebounder, he's not anything but a shooter. I just don't see Knecht starting at any position for the Rockets at any point.
You aren't substituting anything though Knecht is a good shooter himself. His height and length are in addition to his shooting. He got more Rebs than RS so if he isn't a rebounder neither is RS. RS was just a connective passer he wasnt breaking people down and passing and creating for others. He has high amount of assist because his team was stacked and RS was the 4rth option. RS had 4.5 AST, Rob D had 3.9 AST, DJ Wagner had 3 AST. In contrast Knecht wasn't passing because he was shooting. You can't both pass and shoot at the same time. His team sucks he doesn't pass because everyone is passing to him expecting him to score. In an NBA team with other and better threats Knecht can and will have more AST exactly like RS. Knecht was bad on D in college but he can be a better defender than RS in the NBA because he is almost 6'8 with shoes and he is athletic. Being a defensive liability is more due to bad measurables and mentality. Knecht has tools to be a great defender he just need to change his mentality just like Cam Whitmore or Tyler Herro. RS with his limited size will never be a great defender he can just be a decent defender at best. Too small to guard premier threats like SGA.
I think that there will be as many all stars in this draft as most drafts - the problem is that at this point it is really hard to identify them because all of these players have warts. The top headliners are from Europe and have played in controlled situations and have had injuries and are very young. If you told me Topic would become a 5 time all star, I wouldn’t be shocked. Same with Sarr and the French wing. From the American side, the G League was largely a bust. Dillingham has the quickness and body control to be a Maxey or Fox type player if he shoots well. Clingan is huge and not a stiff, has some touch and attitude but isn’t terribly quick so what will he become? Chris Kaman? I see a lot of Joel Przbilla there. Sheppard was awesome as a freshman but he was a role player. He seldom shot and seldom went to the line. He didn’t really break guys down and get to the hole - was it because Dillingham was a better penetrator and Sheppard wanted to win - or was it because Sheppard cannot do it well enough. It is easy for some to write him off as a small and slow role player - but he almost always finished and then you realize he has a better vertical than Kobe and 99% of players to have ever played in the NBA. There are also a lot of talented guys that look like they should be good like Buzelis, who honestly just sucked. I’m not ready to write them off, but it’s a red flag for sure. I think a medium outcome for Sheppard is a Mike Dunleavy career… but I also see something special in him, that may translate into a really efficient and very good player.
I'm saying you have to substitute something because all Knecht has is his shot....and it's not as good. Sure he's taller, but he was a poor defender even in college, he can't pass, he rebounded about as well as a 6'2 guard and got smoked by that 6'2 guard in blocks and steals.....also, he's 4 years older....in fact, he's older than Tari Eason who is the oldest guy the Rockets still have that they've picked in the first round since 2021. I guess you had more flashy wide open dunks....so there's a thing. Sorry guy, being a bit taller doesn't make up for all of those deficiencies. I'm not fully "out" on a lot of prospects, but old man Dalton is one of those guys.
I agree there are no guarantees but there are some big differences. First - Sheppard was only a true freshman. Second, Sheppard didn’t just shoot really good - he shot from 3 what a lot of centers shoot 5 feet from the basket. Third, Sheppard has the best hands I have seen Mookie Blaylock or John Stockton on defense. Sheppard has very quick and very strong hands that make him an exceptional ball hawk and are so good that they allow him to stay in front of his man and make up for his lack of elite quickness. Sheppard also has a lot of potential as a rebounder at his mediocre height because of his center of gravity, instincts, great hands and a 42 inch vertical. Last - Sheppard just has such a great feel for basketball. That REALLY matters. It alone isn’t enough but when you have other skills it adds up. Im not saying I don’t have questions about Sheppard. All of the things I said don’t change the fact he is 6’2” with a short wingspan, that we don’t know if he can be a volume scorer and if his efficiency carries over with more looks - and while we know he isn’t a bad passer, we don’t know how he will handle lacking a first step. Traditional logic says Sheppard should be a late #1 pick, but some guys break the mold. His situation reminds me some of John Stockton, in that he shouldn’t be as good as he is.
