Sarr does fill a need for them. Who knows what their board looks like. I feel good about Sheppard or Castle at #3 assuming both Sarr and Risacher are off the board.
Very few people in this thread are calling Sheppard a potential superstar. Many just think he's great shooter and has feel for the game. While that might make him a good fit for our roster, it's hardly consensus #1 pick territory. Also, teams at the top of the draft are looking for upside and often place an emphasis on physical attributes: height, length, reach, build, age, leaping ability. These are not Sheppard's strengths. Even the true superstars he has been compared to (Curry, Nash, Stockton) weren't drafted at the top of their classes for those same reasons. If Steph Curry had the potential to be Steph Curry, why was he drafted #7? He put up 29/4/6 in his last year at Davidson on 45/39/88 splits while Ricky Rubio averaged 10/3/6 on 40/36/89 splits in the Liga ACB. In Rubio's Euroleague games he put up 2/2/3 on 30/33/63 splits. Rubio was drafted two spots before Curry. What else could Curry have done to be drafted higher?
The thing about Sheppard is, he is actually a very good athlete. He measured top 3 in vertical at the combine. Not only could he have done more in college, he would have if he wasn’t a freshman and playing 3rd fiddle and out of position behind the other touted guards. His shooting was otherworldly, but his passing is much better than stats tell you, as he was positioned as a move off the ball shooter, when he was a point guard in high school.
I think I would do Sheppard or if they don't want Sheppard for some reason or another I hope they trade back, get some kind of value, and grab Devin Carter instead. Maybe if Portland is interested, get #7 and #14 and grab Carter and Filipowski? Seems like there are so many big, athletic, non-shooting wings once you get into the #3 to #10 range, and I just don't know if I see a role for those guys when we already have Amen and Tari. Clingan I guess could be an option, and I know we've got some size queens who want him or Edey. I just don't love the idea of spending the #3 overall pick on a dude who I don't believe can play alongside Sengun in most situations and is probably destined to play 16 minutes per game the entire time he's here. I suppose at least there would be a role for him--but let's keep in mind that the rookie pay scale at #3 is nearly $9M AAV. That's damn near the standard MLE and more than the taxpayer MLE.
I've seen him do kick outs, dump off, lobs, pocket passes, and one handed (with the off hand) skip passes to set up his teammates. What other kind of passing or generation of high quality looks are you looking for? Tari, Jabari, etc., aren't making all those kinds of passes. The only Rockets I'd probably rate above Reed would be Amen (who I am very high on), FVV, and *maybe* Jalen (Jalen has been working on playmaking for years, and I think only this last season did I really see him do some good one handed skip passes). Well maybe Sengun too, but that's really a different role. Watch this as an example: (27:30) I'm pretty sure I've seen him do that a few times in various highlights, and it is possible he's done that in other scenarios that just didn't make the highlights. He didn't have the usage/reps I'd like for this to be ideal, but I feel like I've seen enough to conclude he can make all these PG type of passes for setting up high quality shots. Though as I mentioned earlier, if he doesn't work on his handle and self creation, it might not matter as much (this is part of the reason Amen didn't playmake as well as I thought he should have in his rookie year). Who are some of the scouts/experts who have doubts about Reed's ability to play PG, and what exactly were their complaints (presumably not the ones I just mentioned)? Again, I just listed Hollinger, KOC, etc who didn't seem to share your opinion. Well some guys are probably overhyping Reed. I've pumped up his passing/vision/feel, but I've been clear (in this post and elsewhere) that he has some stuff to clean up there (although self-creation might always be a tough ask?). I've also been clear in saying he will likely be hunted on defense, and unless he bulks up and learns from FVV, he will be a problem on defense. Now I'm optimistic he can eventually become a positive (like FVV), though I think it is reasonable to have big concerns about him there. Does an elite shooter with great feel and good (again I never claimed great/elite) passing/vision, OKish athleticism (maybe good), good defensive instincts but undersized, etc. really seem like a unanimous #1 pick to you? Especially for ATL who already have 2 pretty good guards? I'm pumping up Reed, but I think it is a longshot he ends up as good as say Trae Young (though Trae is abysmal on defense I admit). I also thought it should be pretty clear that this draft is mostly 7-9 guys all in one tier (though Sarr generally seems to be thought of as the best), so of course where Reed is mocked depends on team needs/fit. Risacher is mocked all over the place. Sometimes #1, sometimes closer to the 10-15 range. He's a 3&D guy though, so of course pretty much every team could use that (vs a traditional big, a non-shooting wing, or an undersized guard). Also I have Risacher on my short list (probably 2nd?), so I'm not sure it is crazy that Reed might be mocked below him. Additionally I'll also point out that Hollinger *does* have Reed in his top tier (alongside Holland, Castle, and Clingan). Sam as I've mentioned has generally had Reed high up on his personal board (though I think based on what he said today, he knocked him down a bit for sucking in the tournament, which fair enough). So I'm not sure it is true that experts/scouts don't have Reed high on their list (unless they're, as Christian Wood said, "casuals"). There's a reason guys like Jalen Brunson didn't seem to wow some scouts, but they ended up doing very well. I think some guys have caught on to things like that, but others are probably still infatuated by the usual things that pop.
for me it’s that Castle was the ultimate utility player for championship UConn, giving you 11/5/3 and a steal in 27 min while playing elite defense. The rumor is that his shooting is improving; his 75% FT gives me hope. He has incredible position versatility; he’s almost 6’6” without shoes, 6’9” wingspan. And he’s only 19 yrs old. I guess the handles, passing, IQ, defense, stat stuffing and competitive team-oriented mentality are enough for me as a floor, and then you are hoping the shooting improves. I’d rather take a Reed Sheppard, but I would trust our scouts if Castle turned out to be the pick.
Not sure what this has to do with my post, though I have thoughts about Clingan that I posted earlier if you really care to get into that. (tl;dr: I advised against him) https://www.nbadraft.net/players/zaccharie-risacher/ Yeah this says 6’10.5″, though maybe he grew a bit since then (not that I'd count on it). Assuming they measure the same way, his standing reach (8'10") seems like it would rank fairly well with all the other prospects in this draft in the SF/PF category. Sure, more is better, but I don't think it is a bad wingspan either.
I do like Castle... I just don't know if I'm in on yet another guy where you're like, "Well,if the shooting comes around..." It would be nice to just... have shooting for once.
Again, I'm for moving this pick in a deal for a star. We don't need another 20 year old with #3. It has more value to us as a trade chip. on Reed Sheppard - Perhaps, he WILL end up similiar to Mark Price. He DOES play the right way, great feel...can sky and can bust it from downtown like nobody's business... But, I have real problems with the height and reach. Just don't like him as high as he's projected to go. Certainly not at 3-5. Folks talk about his shooting , good defense, bbiq/decision making... We pretty much know going in that there will be built in disadvantages that offset this stuff to some degree. Nice floor, but limited upside IMO. IF we actually pick, I'd like some length and athleticism...
This was my single favorite anecdote from the podcast, the fact that this guy just straight up beat out all these higher ranked recruits to lead the team in production really speaks to his competitiveness. The fact of the matter is that he's going to have to be a major physical outlier to succeed in the league, and the odds are stacked against him. But if he's going to do it, it makes me feel a ton better betting (pause...no Jontay Porter) on a history of winning minutes when you roll out the ball. It feels extremely similar to Isaiah Thomas or Fred Van Vleet; absolutely no reason why those guys succeeded at their physical statures outside of otherworldly skill and determination. It throws a bit of cold water on it when you do a bit of digging and realize that Sheppard was a consensus top-50 recruit (around Bronny James's rank) and Mr. Basketball for Kentucky; this guy wasn't Mat Ishbia riding the bench because his parents were big boosters/former players. Also makes it a bit tough to say that any of the players on Kentucky were being utilized to their maximum potential when Coach Cal just left/was released from his "lifetime contract" this year, although I'm not a CBB expert.
Honestly, I really don't want to get another guy we HOPE that his shot will improve. We already have three of those (Sengun, Jalen, Amen) in our young core. I want someone who can shoot at a high level right from the beginning.
The fact he could jump was known before the combine - it was talked about in high school. For some reason people had to re-discover this in college. He doesn't really use the ability that much, as in, he's not out there showboating. When I saw his hand length measurements from the combine, I laughed and said "oh, that's why". Jokingly, of course... sorta. He had the shortest hand length in the draft, I think. May have problems grabbing the ball. He did have pretty good hand-span/hand width, though. I don't know what that could mean - maybe great at patting guys on the butt and giving "ataboys"? I think what people fear most about him is what if the shooting doesn't translate or if he's just an average shooter? From what I remember seeing of the stats in the combine shooting, he was average. I won't hold that against him - maybe he just had a bad day. But guys like Knecht, McCain, etc. did equally well or much better. Jabari was supposed to be a 6'10" Ray Allen, but he doesn't shoot quite as well as expected and his defense isn't as elite as expected, though pretty good in most cases. Reed's passing is probably underrated - not sure about his defense against bigger/faster guys. I'll have to wait and see on that. He was always a combo guard type in high school, but did handle the ball a lot. I like the guy, but haven't decided if there's anybody I'd rather take a chance on at that position since most of these guys are going to be crapshoots this year, no matter the draft position. Why the hell couldn't we move up in one of the next couple of years?!
No to George, Durant, Bridges, and Trae Young. Maaaybe Mitchell...that contract gets wonky. I like BI..if he could stay healthy.( Get him away from Zion) Booker would be my choice, but it takes two to tango.
Suns aren't trading Booker after getting Budenholzer. BI is the only realistic one and not sure I'd call him a star. Absolutely no Trae Young. I don't see them trading the pick for any of these guys as there's currently 4 guys on the roster that could very well be better than Ingram. Rockets need a superstar not a star. Taking shots away from the other guys won't help with that.
