This. I think his "passiveness" was misconstrued as fear by some...and there most definitely were nerves there, but it largely came from the people who watched him play and thought he was a SG and for some reason had selective vision regarding how good of a passer he is.
Anyone who actually watched the game knows Reed played well on both ends. It’s only the typical Jalen Green fanbois who are being negative and nitpicking Reed’s shooting stats despite him taking multiple heaves.
If this is Reed playing with nerves I can't wait until he thinks he's the Alpha on the team. Dude would be dropping 50 nightly!
Yeah, he won't put up team-high assist numbers, but as the backup PG, he'll probably have to handle the ball and manage pace some when FVV is off the court. I don't think he's looked quite comfortable having the ball in his hands, but then again, he hasn't had a lot of opportunities. I guess he could be in more of an off-ball guard role. I don't see that either as he doesn't seem built to be the gunner off the bench. For now, his role is kind of an enigma for me, but he's young and figuring things out. I'm curious to see what happens and how he fits.
I probably didnt write that clearly. I meant that last season when he wasnt playing assertive I think some of it was nerves but also just because he naturally looks to get his teammates involved and move the ball around. I think the Rockets want him to push his limits though and not settle into being a super role player.
To be clear, I wasn't comparing him to JJ Redick. I just said that I think he'd have a JJ Redick/Kyle Korver tier 3 pt shot (which means absolute top tier in the league, in case you weren't aware) and that he also share the traits of being massively undersized with no exceptional athleticism (he's athletic, but he has nothing that jump out as "special" athleticism at all) and as such will likely have to be one of those players who works hard all the time to keep the edge more than someone like Beard who can come in half cut and still put up HOF numbers.
Wonder if his calf thing was a cramp or a strain. Id imagine if a strain he doesnt see a minute in the remaining SL games.
Rewatched the game, and Reed looked good. He had some end of quarter heaves which skewed his percentages a bit, but dude looks locked in. I know it’s summer league, but stepping back over much bigger guys to drain 3s and some long 3s. Pure, too. Oh, and active defensively. Blocks, steals, disruptions. he does look like he’s been in the weight room, and his ball handling looks more confident and crisp. You can tell he’s a player who puts in work during the offseason. Can’t wait to see him with actual teammates, instead of those scrubs. Difficult when you’re the only one who can make a shot. Should’ve had 8+ assists, honestly. Can’t wait for October
He won’t be playing against scrubs either. I am confident he will be a competent combo guard coming off the bench this year. He still has a lot to work on and hopefully Ime will give him enough time to settle in. I see his biggest weakness as being able to beat anyone off the dribble, but that can be mitigated, because I think he has the BBiq to be pretty good in the pnr and he can always be a good spot up shooter. He will still get hunted on defense at times, but so does FVV. I’m thinking a 12/4/4 line for the year.
Reed started off slow on offense but the defense was great throughout the game. In the 2nd and 3rd quarter he heated up however he also took a lot of logo shots that just straight up missed or clanged at the rim. Playmaking wise he had much tighter handles than last year which allowed him to be a more dynamic threat and had some really great cross court passes that showcased his vision, just that his teammates were ass and bricked wide open shots. Of course SL isnt the NBA but I think the defense, effort/hustle and high IQ will translate. This is also the reason he got penciled in for PT while Cam was in the doghouse. He is already an upgrade over Holiday and should do a good job being the backup pg.
He only went in as a decoy. Made no moves to get open. Believe he’s done for SL. Was looking forward to today’s game, but won’t watch now.
Its funny watching all the Summer League dopes slipping screens in hopes of getting a Reed pass instead of setting an actual hard screen to free Reed up. Like...you have a higher chance making it in the league if you seem like a guy that will help a star player instead of trying to pad your points that will never be there in the actual league.
He played both on and off ball but like you said they had other ball handlers on the team so he wasnt always on ball. Just want to point out something for people that stupidly use him coming off the bench in college as some sort of knock (I know thats not what you did)...He was a bench player in name only. He was third on the team in minutes per game, 2nd in overall minutes played. The leader in minutes was their senior guard who played about 31 mpg. Reed averaged 29 mpg. Basically, the first opportunity they could get him in the game, they did.
Full story: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6489551/2025/07/12/reed-sheppard-rockets-nba-summer-league-year-2/
The coaches need to implement a simple cutting motion, it takes 2 minutes. Reed is a very good passer but nobody moves and they're bad shooters.
