AB was a fantastic athlete. Quick laterally. They’re comparable athletes but Reed is quite a bit bigger.
You can see Aaron Brooks' numbers here: https://www.nba.com/stats/draft/combine-strength-agility?SeasonYear=2007-08&dir=A&sort=PLAYER_NAME I actually am surprised to see some decent NBA players in this. I guess back then they pushed guys to participate too. Conley is in there too if people want to compare (since he's a common comp).
I couldn't find much on Brooks in college except this video but some how, Reed Sheppard just does not seem to be as quick and fast laterally, as Aaron Brooks. And like I said, what makes certain smaller players special is their quickness and their handles. It allows them the ability to get their own shots, w/o ball or player movement. Sure, Golden State had both, ball and player movement, but what make Steph special is his ability to get his own shot, when all else failed.....So, the question remain, does Reed have that?
I don’t think Reed has AB handles, he could get there but they’re different types of players. Reed is faster in 3/4 sprint and better verticals. AB is faster in lane agility. They’re similar athletes.
Im sorry my man, I just don't see that level of Cat Quickness in Reed's game. The agility, the lateral quickness of Iverson and Aaron Brooks. That JUMPS OFF the screen. If the Rockets draft him, I'll be 1000% on board but if they pass him up, I definitely won't lose any sleep.
If Reed Sheppard could get to the point where he can consistently match AB0's best offensive season here (20 points, 5 assists, 43% / 40% shooting) that would be a great outcome for him honestly--and by no means guaranteed. Of course, Brooks' career went way off track after that due to injuries and whatever else, and Sheppard is definitely a much more promising defensive player.
AB is quicker laterally, also one of the quickest times ever. But to act like Sheppard isn’t is wild. It’s the same difference from AB to Sheppard as it is from Sheppard to Mike Conley in the lane agility. And Sheppard is faster sprint times than both.
Reed might never score 20 points per season, but he will outperform that AB season (where our roster was very thin so AB got a lot of shots) as far as %%, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks.
Thanks for being honest. Its like I've been saying all along. What makes those smaller players EXTRA SPECIAL are their handles. Kyrie, for example, he is not quick like Aaron Brooks or Iverson but his elite handles allow him to maneuver in traffic. Same for Steph. Personally, I think Brooks and Iverson are on another level as far as athletic ability. I would put Reed on the same plateau with Steph and Kyrie, as far as ATHLETIC ABILITY, not skill level....LET'S GET THAT STRAIGHT. However, if he does not have exceptional handles, it will hurt him bigtime.
Steph isn’t in the same ballpark athletically as the others. Sheppard has solid handles but not elite, neither did Steph coming into the league. There’s room for improvement. There's also a difference in handles and flashiness. I’d rather effective ball handling and finishing than show boat that doesn’t turn into anything
Even on 3P% and assist percentage I think matching that season would be a great outcome, pretty damn close to his ceiling (not quite but almost) for Sheppard. Getting to about 40% three point shooting in the NBA would be an excellent, top-shelf performance for any player no matter how good they were in college. I think I might go even just slightly higher than that on Reed's realistic ceiling, maybe like 41%, but the odds of him being significantly better than AB0 was that year as a three point shooter are very, very low. Remember, Steph Curry, arguably the greatest shooter of all time, has a career 42.6% three point percentage and that's before hitting the decline phase of his career.
Yeah I think Jalen Brunson probably has decent-ish handles but nothing crazy. Also not a mega quick athlete. But he's pretty effective. He does have great footwork, knows how to use his body, highly skilled, quick decision maker, etc., but I think his actual handle isn't on par with some of those names. And honestly I don't think it really matters much if you have the other stuff and at least a decent minimum handling ability. You can probably throw in FVV as well, though he's obviously not as skilled as Brunson in those areas. I do think if you have the ability to shoot from nearly anywhere on the court, that also offsets some need for elite handles/quickness.
I think he can be similar to them but not a score first guy. I don’t think there’s a tier 1 player in this draft. Sheppard has a high floor and a good ceiling imo
My expectation for Sheppard is Mark Price. And I'd be extremely happy with that. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pricema01.html
