Hmm... on one hand he really likes long players that can move well because they are so switchable on defense, and Reed does not fit that. On the other hand, Ime behind closed doors has complained about the Rockets inability to shoot from the perimeter and their poor decision making when it comes to shot selection - and Reed fits those needs perfectly. It is really hard to say for sure.
Help me understand the infatuation with Reed. When people say “generational shooter” where are they getting this from? The guy shot 8 times a game for 33 games. So low volume, for a short period of time. Has anyone checked out what he did in high school? It was pretty good but not generational. He shot 34.7%, 33.6%, 40.9%, 38.2% from the three point line in high school on an average of 4.5 attempts per game. I see a role for him but he’s not who I draft with the number 3 overall pick. I see another Ime protege in Payton Prichard and or a TJ McConnell with shooting ability in Reed. His best comp that I’ve seen floating around is Kirk Hinrich. While those are guys I would have on my team they’re not worthy of the 3rd pick in the draft. Even if you think it’s a horrible draft. You trade down and select those guys. I’d be okay with selecting Reed if we trade down. Not with #3.
Every freshman coming out has small sample size data. That's why the draft is such a crap shoot. Lots of busts and lots of unexpected gems. Intelligence and work ethic are always a good indicator of future success. Even if a guy doesn't turn out to be a star, he will pretty certainly be a useful player. You seldom see a smart and hard working player (with reasonable physical abilities) become a total bust.
I mean the answer to both of Ime's problems is a lead scorer/playmaker who is a lot better than what Jalen Green showed last year, which is why the Rockets are looking at Mitchell if he becomes available and willing to sign long term with the team. An additional shooter parked at the 3pt line can be found on the FA market every year. If Ime wants Sheppard then he should be thinking of Sheppard replacing Jalen as one of the offensive initiators. I don't know if Sheppard can be that guy, but he has to if the Rockets think he's worth a #3 pick.
Udoka: Shooting = premium Versatility across the board with how we defend Well rounded players Shot creation
Its called "draft hype". All of this generational shooting and excellent defense was still coming off the bench.
I don’t see him busting but I don’t see a high ceiling either. In other words he would be this generations Shane Battier.
Haven't you heard? Sheppard is better than Jalen Green , Chris Paul and he's the new and improved Steph Curry. He's the greatest shooter in basketball history. He's the only player ever known to shoot 5 pointers!!!
Sheppard looks to be better (probably much better) than Holiday. He can be the future replacement of FVV who is assumed to be not here long term. If Amen proves to be a viable solution to be the long term PG, Sheppard can be a good running mate alongside him. I can see them taking Sheppard as the double insurance of Amen being the starting PG and Jalen being the starting SG. I can also see them trying to get a guy like Mitchell but the odds are pretty long.
I think the shooting numbers are bonkers, but yeah I think it is fair to think he'll fall back down to Earth eventually. But even if Reed only shot like 40% from 3 in college, I'd still be very high on him because of his high feel, event creation on defense, etc. Maybe he'd be closer to 10-15 range, so for sure the shooting boosts his value, but I'm not seeing him as just a good shooter and not much else. I guess I'm in the minority in that I think he actually has a pretty high ceiling, relatively speaking. Of course he could just end up meh, but I think he's got just as high of a ceiling as pretty much any other prospect. Also, I hate having to repeat this so much at this point, but Reed is pretty much in the same tier as most of the guys at the top. I'd *probably* put Sarr in the same tier, but if someone wants to put him in a tier slightly above the rest, that's fine. Maybe you should trade down, but if the offers aren't great (which...why would they if it is a horrible draft?), I'd probably just go with Reed.
Most top prospects and NBA players in general are better than Jalen Green, that's not exactly a high bar.
I'll help. He's by far the best shooting prospect in the draft class or any recent draft class. He's got close to perfect shot mechanics and a lightning quick shot. He shoots about the same percentage no matter the scenario. He has a very high BBIQ and very rarely makes a mistake with the ball other than maybe being a touch too conservative and safe. He has a pretty high ceiling as a passer and floor general. He has very strong, very quick hands and projects to be a plus defender even if he won't be very switchable. In short, he's basically everything the Rockets need most.
...but if you take Reed with the 3rd pick your paying him roughly $10mil a year to be a rich man's Aaron Holiday(who is looking to get paid but is also coming off a $2mil deal so "paid" is like $5mil/year on a team friendly deal). He's gotta have a lot higher floor than a rich man's Holiday or Kirk Heinrich to want to take him with the 3rd pick and the ceiling needs to be a little more realistic than Steph Curry for a guy who didn't start on his own college team(although I hear that was because of commitments made to lesser players) and hasn't shown elite handles like Steph.
What I do not understand is not that they are high on Sheppard but why don't you wait till Season start to vouch for him. Why the sudden impatience to hop on his bandwagon, nobody is going to burn you at the stakes if you just play it cool.
He's not worth a top 3 pick. Even if he is starting caliber player he wont start since we have both Amen and FVV. We should use this pick to stock pile talent for a star trade down the line or cheap labor given we will need to pay hefty extensions in 2 yrs time.
Two things can be true at the same time. Jalen should improve his efficiency. Him remaining a career 54% ts player is not good and if he doesn't approach 60% ts by next season it's time to move on. Jalen also was one of the least responsible culprits for why the offense was below average given that he was in the 72nd percentile in team on/off offensive efficiency only behind FVV out of all rotational players this past season. Ya his impact on offense was even more positive than Sengun. If you think a player who just played against bench units in D1 college basketball as a primary off ball shooter is going to take on Green's role as the point of attack lead guard where NBA starting unit defenses are loaded up on him, you are unhinged In no world is Ime thinking someone like Sheppard even has the potential to replace Green.
