Sure, there are aspects Reed might be already better than Fred.....that is visible..... But Fred is still more steady Freddy in certain types of situations you cannot simulate. Dude has been to the Finals with Kawhi......and made big Playoff shots..... You don't want his career to basically be over the hill after that type of injury though on this team or any other team for that matter.
Well, it is consistently below average...... I would call him steady in situations where you need the calmer hand.
I appreciate FVV. I value FVV's defense and game management highly. I'd find a way to get both FVV and Reed 30 mpg if they were both healthy. That said, mostly, I think it will just take time for Reed to learn to fit with Durant, Amen, and Sengun. Whether it be the next game or 20 games from now, I'm expecting a spike in 3PAs from Reed from him learning how to get to spaces those players create and from those guys learning how Reed moves without the ball during a defensive breakdown or an offensive board. I think Adams has already figured out how Reed moves on an offensive board. Holiday and Reed work well together pulling the defense in opposite directions, and replacing one another based on how the other moves off ball.
Agree with a lot of this. Durant is a tough fit for anybody that needs the ball. Hopefully the team can get the ball to Reed where he needs it to take advantage of his elite skill. The problem with both Reed and Holiday whether they are playing together or not is defense. They have to get effective on both sides of the ball to not be a net negative. We need their shooting on offense. Batum kind of demonstrated last game that Reed needs to play off-ball. Teams are brutalizing him when he has the ball. Teams have adjusted like i predicted and are herding him out to the half-court line. He wasn’t even quick enough to make Batum pay.
Fred is the vet: you play him. Now, if Reed is averaging 25+ a game and playing mad defense, you take another look.
Am I missing something? I'm surprised how seriously everyone seems to be taking this question. Is there even a snowball's chance in hell that FVV comes back that soon? Has anyone ever come back from a torn ACL that soon? I know it's a hypothetical, but I feel like most hypotheticals worth several pages of discussion have at least some likelihood of happening. Not only that, but the OP kinda implied this was a real possibility...
FVV believes it's possible and mentioned in the Durant podcast that he's working towards that even if chances are slim. The average recovery time is 6 months - which would mean he's ready by 23 March 2026. The playoffs don't start till 18 April 2026. That gives him 25 days to get in game shape before the playoffs. There's a lot on the line for him. If he doesn't come back, he could be traded this summer. We could acquire a CP3 and by end of season Amen/Reed will make FVV redundant. He doesn't seem to want to miss out on this season. It's not uncommon for people to recover a month early or a month late. Treatment is always becoming more efficient. If he really has his mind on it, it's definitely possible.
Doesn’t really matter if he comes back or not. We still have Udoka as our coach, which means we still don’t have any structure to close games. Couple that with our defense falling off a cliff this year, and this team is going absolutely nowhere. First round exit at best with this coaching.
What about next season? Do we let Fred start or do we give Reed the reins? If Reed keeps improving this season, I think there's a strong case for starting him over Fred.
Reed is inevitable. Fred’s future at his age coming off injury is off the bench. Can’t hold Reed back after what he is showing. Fred can help instill the toughness and make him better defensively. But it’s Reed’s Show next yr.
I think with a bit more muscle, experience and cleaned up handles for Reed - FVV can try to outplay Reed but he won't be able to next season. People forget that Fred is in the rapid decline phase of his career. It's when all time greats decline and there's no reason why FVV shouldn't decline as well. The last Fred we saw SUCKED - he was the most inefficient guard or wing on the roster last season. He shot 39% from the field and 32% from 3. The next Fred we see is unlikely to be better than that. He's aged and had a major injury since then. Next season will be KD's second and there will be no excuse for anyone if we don't win a title. Fertitta, Stone, Udoka and KD will all be accountable to that next season. For that elite a team, he's a perfect bench player or 5th best starter probably for the rest of his career.
I don't see a reason for him to try and come back that soon. Even a healthy Michael Jordan coming back in March ended with him getting bounced by the Magic. No way he is playing this season.
If FVV comes back healthy, I wonder how much time FVV and Reed play together. I think a FVV, Reed, Amen, Durant, and DFS lineup would be fun. Let teams try to double Durant with that lineup. Get the ball to Amen in the middle of the court with 3 defenders having to stop him from going to basket while simultaneously guarding FVV, Reed, and DFS behind the three point line. Yes, please. FVV can handle a lot of the set defenses to get the ball to the playmakers without turning it over. Really hard to deny playmakers getting the ball when every player FVV could pass to is a playmaker. Durant and Sengun are the only ones in that lineup in which the ball can get sticky (moreso Durant than Sengun). Amen gives that lineup a top POA defender, with two other POA defenders on the court. DFS and FVV are masters of just blocking passing lanes. DFS at center is great defensively as long as Jokic and Hartenstein aren't on the court. Granted, I think those 2 minutes will lineup with Sengun. Sengun would also work instead of DFS. I just think Ime would try to find minutes for the Amen, Okogie, JSJ, Durant, Sengun lineup such that I was looking at lineups without Sengun.
It's not so much about KD, it's the offense in general - Hand the ball to KD or Sengun and let him go to work in ISO, usually outside the 3 point line. I don't want to see him have to work so hard to get his shots, I want him to get the ball and get easy shots in the flow of the offense. Get him to his spots without the other team doubling him .... easy catches off of some other action, less dribbling. How do you defend a Reed / Sengun pick and roll with Alpi rolling downhill when there are 8 dudes on this team shooting .400 or better from outside the arc and Amen roaming the baseline?
If FVV can hit shots, playing him and Reed together would work. I thought it would make the back court too small. But Reed and Holiday seems to work well. Holiday hits shots. If FVV does, he'll be much better than Holiday.
