Assuming he's speaking the truth and not just being typical GM BS talk, the fact that Stone said they would've traded down had Sheppard not been there makes me feel more secure about this pick. Given the Rockets trying to get picks to land a star, that they are willing to bypass the chance for more future picks to take him means they feel he's clearly part of the core developmental guys. There's still a lot about Sheppard I'm skeptical off, especially on the defensive side when teams attack him directly, but it is nice to finally have a reliable shooter on the team other than FVV (I love Jabari but still think his 3pt shot needs improvement).
Yyyyyeah. Don't expect Stockton. While Stockton looked very plain on the move out there, the guy had handles like glue at 14. He was elite. incredible footwork too. And I'm not even talking about his vision, efficiency, shooting, or passing. He could handle the ball at an elite level. Even Gary Payton couldn't guard him. What I expect to see is Green drawing attention on the drive and finding Shepp. That's more than likely how the offense will flow. It will be more like a triangle when Sheppard is on the floor.
He could be a TJ McConnell type and that would be great backing up FVV. Nothing wrong with that, just the spot he was selected....
Sheppard really clashes with the elite offensive rebounding of Eason and Thompson. How can they do what they do when he's splashing constantly??
I think people are underestimating his overall game and he will continue to get much better. Things I like other than the obvious shooting and ability to D up. Plays through contact and is able to finish strong, has very good vision and imo will be a plus passer. Handles are better than what people realize. Versatile in the sense he will be deadly in the half court, but plays with pace and can get up and down the floor while seemingly always making the correct read.
I’m not gonna lie. I’m excited about the fit.. but we need to be honest here. This was a best fit pick. I’ll be happy if he does turn into a hybrid of Steve Nash and Steve Kerr, or the next Steph Curry. However there’s no real evidence to support that being relatively likely. I think it’s a safe bet he’ll be a good fit with his ability to hit open shots. That’s great… but it’s either indicative of Stone wanting to take a safe bet or the quality of the draft… or both I guess. Excited for Reed, but this is not normally a top 3 pick in the draft.
That is a welcome possibility. The offensive rebounding stats for all the Rockets players will go down when he is on the court.
Stone made it clear that Reed was their top rated prospect by far even going as far as to say if he wasnt there they would've traded back or traded completely out of the draft. Clingan was never a possibility for us at 3. Part of Jacksons reasoning for going Clingan over Sheppard was that their previous lottery picks were all really athletic and/or long. I never bought into Stone having a "type" and physical attributes outweighing everything else. Jalen was widely considered to have the most star potential in his draft. Whoever fell out of jabari, chet and paolo was the pick. No thinking there. Amen was also considered a top 5 prospect and some even thought Portland could take him. I think some mistakenly thought that correlation = causation.
Yeah I don't think he's comparable to Stockton at all on the court. Stockton wasn't a prolific shooter or scorer, he could, but it wasn't in his mindset to do so of course and yeah was much more an elite handler and pass guy while Reed's ceiling is an elite shooter. I guess mentality and personality wise they do seem like the same kind of person. I think Reed is someone that would be content averaging 12ppg as long as the team is winning and he's getting minutes of course. So I love that about him, a complete team first player like Jabari or Eason and you know they are going to give their all even if they make mistakes.
The one thing I think people are underrating in terms of upside is his shooting. Sure he will be able to knock down catch and shoots, but that not the for sure ceiling of its value. While the Curry comps in a vacuum are absurd, I think a poor man's Curry is quite possible. GS has been able to generate a ton of offense off the mere threat of Curry coming off screens. I think when paired with creative front court playmakers like Sengun and Thompson, there's a lot of upside there.
The Core 7 Guards Reed Sheppard Jalen Green Forwards Cam Whitmore Amen Thompson Tari Eason Jabari Smith Jr. Centers Alperen Sengun I'd love to see them pick up one more big in this second round.
