Nash, JJ Reddick, Kerr.. Come on guys. Reed was 8th in steals per game in college this year. Avery Bradley Patrick Beverley Mike Conley (Older*, when he became a higher volume shooter and lost some speed) Charlie Ward Mookie Blaylock Van-Vleet... I think Sheppard's defense will be a big part of his NBA profile and that's being disserved by comparing him to poor defenders just to pigeonhole him in with other sturdy shooters. Comping Nash who developed into one of the greatest passers in history is also tough. Caruso, McConnell, Hinrich, and Rubio are good examples of sturdy defenders, although none of their games match him well, Hinrich is probably the best, but I expect Reed to be a higher volume shooter.
It's certainly a possibility given his skills. He takes a lot of the same shots Curry does, he's about the same height, just like Curry he'd be penciled in as a PG due to his height despite being more of a shooter. I mean, we're talking about a 52% 3 point shooter here with plus defense, exceptionally high BBIQ, who would be best in a role as a secondary playmaker just like Curry..... we're not just talking about any random prospect. Watch enough of him and I'd be shocked if you couldn't see it.
The probability of a 19 year old with a great variety of skills, high BBIQ, great shot proficiency, good hands, and great vision improving as a playmaker with NBA coaching and experience has more of a chance of working out than not.
As a point of comparison -- JJ Redick was all of 6-3 with mediocre athleticism, and I think most would agree likely has less value as a passer/ballhandler than what you'd expect out of Sheppard. In hindsight, he ended up 4th in his class in win shares behind Aldridge, Lowry, and Milsap, and ahead of Rondo and Rudy Gay. If you prefer VORP, he was 7th (also behind Brandon Roy) Other comps (with WS and VORP in parentheses) may be an Eric Gordon (15th/12th), Buddy Hield (11th/6th), CJ McCollum (5th/3rd), Kyle Korver (6th/6th), George Hill (6th/7th) or Jason Terry (4th/4th). You have to believe the playmaking on offense and/or defense will hunt for him to justify a top 3 pick, but you could argue top 5-7 on shooting alone.
George Hill is a great comp. Also I think FVV is already pretty spot on. Can we have a rule where we never comp prospects to Hall of famers? Kobe Jalen and KD Jabari still haunt me.
It seems to me that there are two types of X factor players who set all the winning teams apart. Those are the "dawgs" and the shooters. It seems we've got plenty of dawgs. Now we need shooters. The more I see the tape I think it's got to be Reed. If the pick doesn't turn into Paul George.
When RS was throwing the ball ahead on the break, you can see this Nash comp. He’s exceptionally good at finding teammates in that moment. But in the half court I don’t see that Nash-like tendency to keep a dribble alive and punish any misstep. In fact, Sheppard has plenty of tape where he picks his dribble up, the most un-Nashlike habit of all. The body-type similarities between RS, Nash, and Curry are real. And if you think he wouldn’t be able to stay on the court at that size, flip over to the playoffs and look in on what Jalen Brunson is doing. My guess is he won’t be Steph or Nash, but I think I sort of like who RS is. In the Rockets system, he would have many uncontested looks. And we sure could use more help making those.
FINALLY! SOMEONE OF LOGIC. I have been pro - big for awhile now. And from listening to this Podcast, someone around town is finally getting it. If any of you are watching the Playoffs the games are being won and played in the paint! Especially in the West. Our biggest need is a shot blocking presence, shooting is further down the list. You can get a shooter in Free Agency, Bigs are hard to come by.
People also forget that players play to the style of their coach. If the coach demands defense or you'll be sitting the bench, your going to put 100% out on the defensive end. His clips show a relentless defender and very crafty guy, kinda reminds me of Tari. On the offensive end he's moving, passing and nailing shots at a high percentage. I don't know guys. If Shep is there at 3, Udoka may make that call. I'd like to see him practice against Jalen with defense and against Amen with his offense. Would be a good test in the workouts he will put in with the Rockets.
FVV is currently 3rd in his class (he was undrafted) in both VORP and and WS. Behind Sabonis and Siakam.
Risacher's biggest weakness right now is creating off the dribble. He's currently more of a polished 3-and-D guy who has great positional size for a wing. (Think Jaden McDaniels over in Minnesota, but with better passing and ballhandling.) So it's good to see him making some plays like that stepback middie.
How about 4 inches shorter? It’s a shame he jacked up his hip. Right as he was entering his prime too. He could’ve played around that level for a few more years IMO. https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_2017.html#all_mvp If Reed doesn’t pant out it’s not going to be due to his size or lack thereof. He has the tools to be successful (potential star) in the league.
Deron Williams came to me as a comp for Sheppard's point guard skills. He was a guy that wasn't flashy, but had great court vision and bball IQ. Then I dug a little and found out that Deron played combo guard in college because he shared the back court with a 6'0" and a 6'3" guard (Rockets legend Luther Head). Code: College Stats Deron Williams freshman year - 27.1 minutes, 6.3 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 4.5 Ast Reed Sheppard freshman year - 28.9 minutes, 12.5 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 4.5 Ast Combine Deron Williams - height 6' 1.75", reach 8' 2", weight 202.4, wingspan 6' 6" Reed Sheppard - height 6' 1.75", reach 7' 9.5", weight 181.6, wingspan 6' 3" Deron Williams - agility 10.83, sprint 3.25, standing jump 30.0, max jump 35.0 Reed Sheppard - agility 10.96, sprint 3.08, standing jump 32.5, max jump 42.0
This has been mentioned but Cam would have been the clear #1 pick if he entered the draft this season -- I still can't believe he fell to 20 last year. He's elite compared with the top of this draft.
What really sucks is San Antonio picking right behind us. This means we will see the other player we didn’t take for years to come. Much like Morris vs Leonard.
