I didn't bring up Jimmer when comparing others games others did. As for the other part of your post we will see. Yeah he might not be being defended by Bronny, But there are plenty of other PG's out there that aren't great defensive PG's. I'm thinking Dame/Curry/The Jones brothers/Kyrie etc...
"Has shooting range out to the 3PT line and when his outside shot is falling, there’s not much the defense can do to stop him … " -- pretty much sums it up. Breaking down an NBA defense is an art. Jalen needs to be better at finding his rhythm before launching outside shots that much is clear.
I'm not worried, we've got more evidence that Jalen can transcend his weaknesses than every single one of our other draftees combined with several high-volume, high efficiency star level shooting performances with all round games to back them. I'm more confident that Jalen figures it out for example than Amen becoming a shooter, Cam becoming a playmaker, Jabari being a force inside, Tari hitting layups at a normal rate, Sengun becoming a top tier rim protecter - there's very little evidence of any of those things in comparison, like, at all.
I grew up with parents who love sports. Thanks for the offer but I'll politely decline. I'm pretty sure I'm older than your mother, and have been watching the Rockets since before you were born. Hakeem and Carl Lewis were at U of H when I was.
My limited knowledge says Sheppard is a shorter, more athletic (lesser overall talent though obviously) version of Larry Bird. Great shooter with a high basketball IQ Time will tell how clutch he is, because Bird was one of the greatest.
Reed was a 37% 3pt shooter in HS, but he was 33% in his freshman and sophomore year, then made a leap to 40% in his junior and senior year on high volume. He was already demonstrating elite shooting coming out of HS and only cemented that on lower usage at Kentucky.
Reed doesn't play like Larry Bird, who was a dominant alpha dog with a wide array of moves who regularly created his own shots and destroyed guys one-on-one. One thing he has on Bird is verticality.
He played YMCA basketball at age 6 and didn't even attempt a 3, hence why I am skeptical of his shooting.
For all his warts, Stone has a really good eye for talent at the NBA level. As for the Rockets - if they did not want to play an offense with a lot of movement and picks - they will now, because Reed Sheppard absolutely excels off of picks and movement. That is going to mean that some of the offenders in the past that wanted to camp in the corner or the key are now going to need to move off ball.
Not at 20 years old. Lin went to four years of college. Lin had a good career, but confidence issues and a lack of a dependable three-point shot are what kept Lin from being an all star.
Reed Amen Tari Sengun I don't care who you put as the fifth guy - I'd prefer Whitmore, or a consolidation trade to Utah for Lauri. But those four guys thrive in a movement and screen-setting offense. Those four could win a championship together.
Agree on Amen and even Sengun who is the absolute best player in the team, but Cam Bari and Tari absolutely can overcome the weaknesses you listed and probably more likely than Jalen at this point. Mind you, I want Jalen to become a great player but this is the year for him.
Shooting from distance will not be a problem for Reed. He will have pressure put on his handle, which he will need to improve. He will get swatted sometimes in the lane by the elite shot blockers...... and defensively sometimes he will be eaten. Shooting though - that won't be an issue - he has range out to the parking lot.
One thing I'm concerned about is his conditioning, he plays with so much intensity on both sides of the ball it lead to his 3's being short in the last game. That's why I think a season of him coming off the bench while he improves his conditioning is so important.
