Reed Sheppard last year shot 67% at the rim and he is shooting 67% this year. That number will only go up as the spacing changes. McConnell is a nice player, but he isn't the upper ceiling for Reed Sheppard.
I already addressed this all in my earlier post. Reed doesn't have the frame to add the same mass that FVV has without compromising other parts of his game. FVV is built like a pit-bull. Reed is a Springer spaniel. The Springer Spaniel can work out as much as it wants. The pit bull will still be stronger and tougher and will bully the Springer Spaniel. FVV at his best also had better lateral agility. My point is as much about FVV as Reed Sheppard. FVV is underrated on this board which leads to discussions like this. FVV has been among the best defensive point guards of the last 5 seasons. Too many posters are suggesting Reed can be that and even better. It's disenginuous. Reed has great hands and should improve defensively with experience. He will become stronger as well. He can someday be a solid defender if everything goes right. He will not be a better defensive player than peak-FVV. It's disrespectful to FVV to suggest that. It's also unfair to Reed Sheppard to have that expectation. Sengun's athleticism was underrated on this board. He's not a quick twitch athlete but has great footwork and balance which compensates. He's also strong and smart. He has become a good defensive player because of all of these traits. That's an entirely different discussion.
Of course but that doesn't mean everything will grow or the exact thing we need will grow. There's no amount of work that will turn him into a Magic or Kidd type of passer though if that's what you're implying.
If Reed gets to 24-25 level McConnell in the next year or so and just stays there that's still going to be a solid result out of the third pick in a bad draft. The reason this seems like an insult is that while McConnell was a top ~75-100 player last year he hasn't been in that tier for most of his career. Also, it still discounts some of Reed's upside. If everything kind of hits with Reed all-star isn't off the table. Combining elite shooting with how he's looked for stretches when he's comfortable running the offense (like last year against OKC) and potentially improving to passable POA defense is potentially an all star caliber. I don't necessarily expect him to get there, but there's a template. They are also somewhat different in terms of super sub vs starter role. McConnell is a guy who comes in and plays breakneck off the bench. Reed's playing speed seems more sustainable for starter minutes.
Nash and Curry were also not really good defenders.... I am positive Reed is going to be a better defender.......just not as good passing the ball. Curry is underrated in the finishing around the hoop department.
WELL ACKSHUALLY he shot .667 at the rim for 8% of his shots which breaks down to 14/21 over the entire season - and I"m willing to bet the bulk of these came in garbage time or in teh last garbage week of the season after the Rockets sat the starters. And yes, he's, a magic .667 again this year, becuase he's 2 out of 3! lol. TJ Mcconnell shot .741 % of the rim for 24% of his shots which breaks down to about 105/142 over the enitre season, and I'm willing to bet the bulk of these did not come in garbage time or in the last garbage week of the season. These comps don't make sense, salvage attempt denied. I still think Reed projects as an offense-focused supersub more than an all-star or a guy you want playing 40 minutes, but whatever.
So what are the odds that Reed Sheppard makes more three pointers this season than McConnell has for his career so far? I expect Reed to miss some games here and there, but there should also be games Reed plays a ton of minutes as others are out.
Was it disrespectful to compare Sengun's defense potential to Horford's? Keep in mind this was during the Silas era, where the gap between Sengun and Horford's D was as wide as a chasm. Horford almost certainly isn't on this board so I'm not concerned about disrespecting him. And I was saying Sengun could be a very good defender, not saying Horford was a bad one. I also didn't realize how unfair I was being to Sengun, thinking he could be good at defense and all that. You say Sengun's defense is an entirely different discussion, but you only joined the board this year. The discussion already occurred, you just missed it. Back then many people thought Sengun was incapable of being a good defender for X number of reasons and they were wrong. Sheppard doesn't need all of FVV's physical characteristics. There are multiple ways to defend. Being stocky like FVV or Lowry isn't a requirement even when short. Mike Conley came into the league very slight of frame (175 lbs) and short, but fast, and has even more defensive accolades than FVV. And up until a few seasons ago Conley was still a great defender even after losing his elite speed. TJ McConnell had neither the bulk nor Conley's elite speed, but in his peak years he had higher defensive win shares than all three of them. Like all of those guys Sheppard has good hands for steals and a high bball IQ which is a great starting point. Again, I'm not saying Reed will reach those heights but saying he has a ceiling of a solid defender "if everything goes right" is really underselling his potential. But I'm speculating as much as you are and I think I've said my piece on the subject.
Look...I don't want to hear about not comparing Reed or any other young player to their highest possible comp. When Jalen first came in there were talks about Kobe and MJ...People talked about Jabari like KD...called him a 6'11" Klay Thompson....Sengun has been called Baby Jokic for a couple years now...People compared Tari to Kawhi Leonard...Amen has best player in the league potential......Hell, KPJ was supposed to be left-handed James Harden... Yeah...The hell what ya'll say....Until proven otherwise I'll keep comparing him to the guys at the top in his archetype and hope he can reach that level...As his career unfolds past it's infancy stages I'll adjust my expectations accordingly... Players exceed expectations all the time and we are due for another one after Sengun. I honestly don't care who it is, but Reed and Amen are next up.
That’s pretty much where I’m at. We drafted him for his shooting. All the other things (facilitating, defense, etc) are of course also important, but if his shooting is as advertised which is proved by his recent showings, then I’m all on board.
People saying KD is not a leader are just clowns. KD has literally elevated every player on this team with his mentorship and work ethic. Everyone knows Reed has been struggling and has had a tough time the last 2 years. Its a good feeling to know that one of the greatest of all time is supporting him.
The thing with Reed (it seems, from the outside) is he is very much a player who needs to get into the flow of the game and needs confidence. I believe that is why we saw struggles last year - he would get a tiny bit of run and then he'd make a mistake and Ime would yank him. That both affects getting into the flow and his confidence. This year, there have been timeouts by Ime where last year, he would've pulled Reed due to a mistake but now he is letting him play through it (perhaps simply by necessity at times, though he does have Holiday on the bench). Regardless of why, we are seeing Reed get comfortable out there. He will still have a clunker here and there (as all players do), but hopefully the forum won't throw in the towel when that happens. The kid is 21 - give him some time. He's doing a great job this season, despite some defensive bumps in the road. 48% on 3s with almost 5.5 attempts per game. He's shooting, and he's hitting. He's also the closest skillset we have to FVV, at this point.
I don't know where the Kidd archetype came from. Kidd was a bigger guard who was arguably one of the 3 or 4 best passers from the guard position I think I may have ever watched. Hell, maybe one of the 2 best. He couldn't shoot worth a lick early in his career but developed a 3 point shot of sorts later. Crazy good defender. Basketball IQ off the charts. I don't get the Nash comparisons. Nash, to me, is one of the most underrated players ever. Like Kidd, he may be one of the best 3 or 4 passers from the guard position I've ever seen. He had some crazy behind-the-back, over-the-head, no-look passes. His shooting was insane - if there is anyone from the modern era I put in the category of a Durant or Curry in terms of shooting, it's him. His defense was almost non-existent, though, and he pretty much talked like it was an afterthought. lol. His dribbling/ball-handling, especially through traffic and in the paint were elite of the elite. Reed has a way to go before he gets to this level of passing. Basketball IQ off the charts. Magic as a comparison? I have no idea in what regard or where to begin with this. Maybe between the ears, but in terms of what they were good at, their builds, their weaknesses, not too many similarities I can think of yet. lol. Reed is still finding himself. Let's see what he becomes. He's had a year to get adjusted to the NBA three point line and maybe that's the first improvement we're seeing. He's starting to be more aggressive with his shot (thank God!), too, so that's a definite improvement. The only question is whether or not the perceived improvements are a few-game blip or if they're the new normal, but only time will tell that.
We all get down on players, because the anxiety of the game, makes us pick out everyone's weakness. It is constructive critism with skeptism that the person will get in the lab and work on those weaknesses. I do it with my daughter's, but I also encourage them. Reed looked good yesterday like a rotational piece. Very proud of him. He played defense and minimized his turnovers throughout the game. I think that's what all of us wanted. There was no need to hide him in a zone. It's either sink or swim. No life jackets, no floats, and no ropes. Just throw him in and see if he's going to swim.
Which mediocre white player will we pick to be Reed’s comparison today? We play this fun game with black players in the Australian football league too. Every black player regardless of play style is only ever compared to other black guys. If he’s black he’s a speedy goal sneak, even if he’s a 7 footer who relies on size and strength. Not great IQ but great natural instincts! TJ McConnell?… Oh lord.
