Some people get too hung up on prototypical size and athleticism. Give me a player with high b-ball IQ and A+++++ shooting ability any day of the week. This kid needs to be a Rocket!
We need elite first step and a brain. Only "athleticism" player we been burned with is Jalen Green because he's dumb and soft. Cam, Amen and Tari have all paid off.
It’s also not like he isn’t going to get much stronger and better because dude stays in the gym. He will be a better shooter than VF but he is definitely going to look to pass before his shot. There is a real possibility he could still add an inch or more to his height.
Man, I'm a sucker for these qualities too. I think efficiency in college/Euro/other is probably the best indicator for success in the NBA. Playing with intelligence is always going to count at every level of basketball. However, there are other factors. When a player has at least an average physical profile and they play efficiently (think Carl Landry), I feel pretty good about their ability to make an impact. However, with a less-than-average physical profile, I don't feel as confident. Even with the 42-inch vert, Reed does not have that average physical profile. That's not to say he can't overcome it, of course. His skills are undeniable; the advanced stats jump off the page. Hell, he's probably my favorite for the pick at the moment. It's all about levels of confidence though. As much as I like him, I just can't quite get there all the way. In the end though, if Udoka, Stone and staff feel confident enough to pick him, I'm going to be on board and excited to see how he can make an impact off of the young playmakers on the team.
People always underrate processing speed vs. physical speed. Nobody is going to run faster than the ball can move.
I was leaning toward Klingon in the beginning, but you've convinced me M&M. Sign me up. Now here's the turd in the coffee.....what if the ATL/WAS GMs sees this post and is like...."Hell, this M&M guy has convinced me to take Reed...", who do we grab? Sarr? Risacher? Klingon?
I know you are just memeing, but can you imagine Reed running DHOs on this team with two of the best screeners in the NBA in Sengun and Steven Adams.
If Reed happens to be gone by the 3rd pick.. I'd rather roll the dice with Topic over any other prospect: Either that or trade down or trade out of the pick. I'm sorry but Risacher, Sarr, and Clingan all look very middling to me.. none of their advanced stats pop out and the eye test/game tape only confirms it even more. Sarr has an incredibly low fg percentage inside the paint for someone his size (think Kwame Brown). Risacher doesn't excel in any single category (I'd rather trade down and take a chance on a wing in the middle of the first round rather than Risacher), and Clingan moves like he has sandbags stuck to his feet (also Edey owned his ass in the championship game, is better than Clingan, and can be had for a lower pick). Let's hope Reed is still there... easily BPA and also the best fit.
im not sure why people keep comparing him to white players As I think others have said, he’s more like a better shooting Kyle Lowry when he first came into the league and was more of a combo guard. He’s more like a better shooting, better defending FVV. He’s more like a Jamal Murray. These are better comps.
I have started musings on the second round pick. If Risacher gets picked up at 3 I like Kolek at 44. Otherwise I'm looking at Pacome Dadiet or maybe Ryan Dunn is there. A lot of it is just a game of watching to see if someone drops, because in the second round you just want a guy who makes the team... position irrelephant.
Is there really a reason to make a case for Sheppard here? Pretty sure if you poll clutchfans it's at least 90% for taking Sheppard at this point. I have almost never seen anyone vouch for Clingan or Risacher or Topic or any of the other players that have been mocked to Houston.
It’s worth a separate thread but of the guys who could realistically be there: Jamal Shead, Baylor Schierman, Jalen Tyson, Hunter Sallis, Payton Sanford. I’d lean towards shooters with the exception of the best defensive point guard in college basketball (no, I’m not a Coog).
Jimmer Fredette shot 33% from 3 in a weaker conference as a freshman and Sheppard shot 53% from 3 as a freshman. Jimmer Fredette wasn't as good a passer or ball handler as Sheppard is. Fredette also wasn't a good defender, nor a good athlete. There really isn't very much similar between them. Lowry was actually thinner than Sheppard when he was at Villanova. Sheppard is pretty close to an elite ball handler, and he has operated as a point a number of times at Kentucy, especially at the end of games. The narrative that he is a worse athlete than 98% of the players he will face is simply not true. He tested very well and in college was able to stay in front of people. FWIW I heard the same claims about Heinrich as well when he entered the NBA. He doesn't vaguely look like something that the Rockets need. I watched a handful of Kentucky games this season and viewed him as a future NBA bench player. When I went back and watched all of their games and then focused on Sheppard - it became clear that I had a bias against him because he is white and short, that his actual ability and contributions and upside was drastically more than I had expected. He IS short, and he doesn't have a long wingspan - but he has absolutely amazing hands, he is an exceptional jumper, he is excellent in transition, he passes efficiently and at a high level, he gets into the lane and he is an elite shooter. That is where we disagree - Sheppard has lots of upside.
Sheppard is good at both. He is a very gifted shooter from anywhere on the field, but he does well off screens and curls, and he also can hit the set shot. He shot like 47% off screens from 3 this season and shot like 54% on open set shots and I don't remember the number, but in the 45-50% range on 3's off the dribble. When they asked Sheppard what he was upset about this season as far as his performance - he mentioned several things, but he said he felt that he gave away points only shooting 85% from the line. I like Sheppard more with the ball in his hands and making decisions - but at Kentucky he showed he didn't have to play that way.... so he wouldn't have any issues offensively playing off Green or even with Thompson. Oddly - Sheppard is really good in transition.
If we draft Reed at #3, he is not being drafted to be 'THE FRANCHISE' guy. He would be part of the core. For that reason he doesn't need to have all of these off the chart measurables. If we needed this 3rd pick to be our franchise guy to take over the team and carry us, then he would not be the pick. His shooting and BBall IQ would help our team in a big way for years to come. He comes in and plays backup to FVV for a year maybe 2. By then we know what we have in Alpi, Jabari, Green, Thompson, Cam, and Tari.
