I was mostly responding to Ime's point about this team not being able to shoot on the perimeter and not making good decisions on offense. That kind of criticism can be solved only by someone who actually has to make a lot of decisions well and shoot a lot of shots well. A low usage shooter even if we assume he can shoot 40+% from 3 at the NBA level doesn't solve that issue. If Ime wants Sheppard over bigger, athletic guys like Castle or Risacher, then he has to believe Sheppard's offensive arsenal is a lot bigger than just shooting and connective passer.
I like Reed Shepherd at 3. Rockets are young AF, let this group grow together. There aren’t any stars available that move the needle much. Reed would immediately provide elite shooting and the boy can really pass the ball too.
Fans are fans, but I would think this draft is going to be a trade festival......may the Rockets capitalize on it. I would want to see how the West would be affected after the Event.
Wait? Nah. Building around Reed Sheppard and liking it. Setting themselves up for massive disappointment should he not be the pick (or unlikely event he’s not there at 3 or unlikely event they trade back)
If he’s our guy, why should we trade down? Y’all talk like we know what the other teams will do. Why risk not getting your guy? Not okay to take him at 3, but it’s fine to take him at 6 or 7.. I don’t understand the logic behind what y’all be saying
It simply can be the case the front office and Ime believes no one in this draft class can out talent guys like Green to have high usage efficiency and that they are just going to settle for someone like Sheppard who can be a good connective piece who can space the floor well. There is a reason why there are so many rumors about trading the pick to go down the draft and obtain some win now role players in compensation. And there is a reason why it probably won't happen as league wide, front offices believe that the first pick of this draft class is equivalent to a 10th pick in a decent draft so the Rockets third pick doesn't have that much leverage compared to most other drafts. So that means the Rockets might just settle for a connective role player archetype for the third overall pick because they have no choice. If there was a draft where you chose fit and team needs over ceiling, it's this draft class especially at the stage the Rockets are on currently where they already have a plethora of young talent needing minutes.
I don't disagree that Sheppard doesn't scream high ceiling compared to a few other prospects in this draft, although there really aren't that many. He probably wouldn't be picked (or even considered) 3rd in drafts that feature more high ceiling players. It is possible that he will end up at the Battier level, which is actually quite good, a good starting role player for a long time. It is also remotely possible that he will end up an elite shooter and be an all star type guy. Interestingly you mentioned Battier. He was picked #6 in the 2001 draft with four big men picked at the top 4. Pau Gasol turned out to be all star caliber. Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry were okay role players. Kwame Brown was a bust. And Eddie Griffin (RIP) was picked one spot below Battier. Some years later, the Rockets traded the 8th pick (Rudy Gay) for Battier that stirred a great outcry on CF.
Also if Sheppard was seen as a talent that could be eventually a high usage star guard who could be like a second best player on a contender eventually, you'd see a team like the Spurs vigorously trying to move up to one of the top 3 spots because their number one need for their roster construction is a high ceiling wing/guard to pair with Wemby. If the league saw Sheppard as that type of guy you'd see the Spurs hunting to trade up at all costs(outside of Wemby of course). In that sense Rob Dillingham probably has a higher chance of being that type of player than Sheppard. But Dillingham absolutely has a lower floor with a significantly higher chance of not contributing right away which is what we are looking for in this year's draft unlike previous drafts.
His floor is a rich man's Holiday. But his upside is much more than that. I mean, if a college freshman is already a better player than a 5-year NBA veteran, you've got to look at the pay scale in that light. BTW, IIRC Steph's draft profile, he didn't have elite handles and passing in college. He was a lottery pick mainly on his "generational" shooting skill.
How do you know a college freshman is better than a 5 year vet? Did he play against NBA competition yet? Reed Sheppard's floor is being out of the NBA. At his size and lack of agility, great handles etc means if his shooting doesn't translate, he has a potential to only have one NBA contract, his rookie contract. I'm for drafting Sheppard. But that's because like NBA front offices believe, the first pick in this year's draft is like the tenth pick in previous drafts so I'm fine drafting a player who has the floor of not being in the NBA because of his shooting does translate he does fill a big need for this team.
I don’t disagree that he’s a great shooter and has good to great hands. I don’t see point guard when I watch him. He has a great outlet pass that gets him 1-2 assists per game in transition and decent vision but he has a loose handle (this can be fixed) and picks up his dribble far too often and has a propensity to jump in the air and looking for a bail out. He also can’t get any separation from his defender unless he’s getting a screen. What I see in his favor are elite shooting and an ability to get his hands on balls.
Whatever Stone does I have faith in. He’s shown good player evaluation in the draft. Jalen has been his worst mistake but I don’t fault it that badly even though I’m not a Jalen fan.
Calling Jalen a mistake is silly. He has shown long stretches of being a all-star caliber guard between ages 19-22. To call that a mistake is absurd.
Compared to the players drafted after him he is a mistake. Like I said I don’t fault it that heavily but it is what it is. And he has shown 1 stretch of being an all star guard and he was really bad after that stretch.
Like who exactly? Mobley? Imagine where our offense would be ranked if we had him instead of Green. Barnes? Big man size, similar career efficiency to Green, a guard. I actually sincerely wonder what FVV thinks about this one as he's played with both. There were rumors that FVV had issues with Barnes and not being serious. Like tis so weird the narratives behind Green. For example Paolo Banchero a big man self creator, has a worse career scoring efficiency than Jalen Green, a guard and one of those guys is seen as one of the better numbers one overall picks in the past couple of decades. **** Wemby, the generational rookie with what many consider one of the best rookie campaigns ever had he same exact adjusted scoring efficiency as a 7'5 big as rookie Green which is absurd as players his size don't have the scoring efficiency of young scoring guards who have the reputation of being a "chucker"
Castle just seems so much like a crappier version of Amen unless you're really confident his jump shot is going to become solid and you're equally confident Amen's will not. I think Castle does have a better chance of becoming a shooter, to be clear, but I still think his median outcome is a guy who is not really respected from the 3P line and does most of his damage with his rim pressure and playmaking.
