Case to Draft Reed Sheppard at #3

My concern with Amen is his 3 PT shot most of all. He'd have to get 260% better at hitting those shots to reach the league average and 270% better to reach the average 3PT% for a PG. His FT ave is about 13% lower than the league ave as well. I have hope on him at least becoming an ave free throw shooter, but I have big concerns with him being maybe the worst 3 PT shooter in the league as a starting PG.

 

No one was sure if Amen was ready to contribute at all last year. Not only did he contribute, he was our 3rd best player last year. Like Sengun, Amen deserves the benefit of the doubt.

 

I fully agree on his other abilities and contributions. I'm just not sure how rare it is for a guy who only shoots around 13% to become a 37% shooter. That's a big ask. Even bad free throw shooters seem to struggle to ever be really good at the shots.

 

Hopefully, his 3 point shot is what he has dedicated the off-season to working on.
But yes, he needs to VASTLY improve in this area of his game.
Made more necessary by the fact that most of the other Rockets, save FVV, are mediocre to bad at it.

 

i think it's best to assume that amen will never be a good shooter and adjust how we play him, and with whom, accordingly. prime ben simmons was a dominant player before the emotional breakdown...

 

The thing is Ben Simmons entered the NBA with guard ball skills like maintaining a live dribble through multiple defenders against a set half court defense.

Amen's defensive ceiling is higher than Simmons though as he's a better overall athlete

 

i'm just saying neither can shoot. my guess is that amen ends up as dillon's successor but with more playmaking ability.

 

Experience in playing ball myself and watching it for 30 something years. Reed is Reddick worse case scenario, and best case a clone of John Stockton...

Watching Scoot his first year was a huge disappointment. Right now he is the worst copy of Westbrook, his IQ isnt great and I dont believe his shot is going to get any better...

 

I can understand your assessment and I respected it. However, I feel differently about Jalen. Mainly because of what we have seen thus far. The flashes. Although spotty at best, you can't argue the point that we have seen him carry this team.

We might not LOVE his play thus far but his ability is unquestioned. I think with young players, especially since they didnt go to college, you have to let them grow.

 

I think that's the most likely scenario, Amen playing a role similar to Draymond Green... only Amen can play above the rim

 

Want to improve the shooting and no I wouldn't do this,

Trade for Kennard and draft Reed.

I wouldn't be against drafting Sarr or Clingan and trading for Kennard.

 

I thought about that too. Our team is already a bottom tier 3 PT shooting team, but Fred is an above average 3 PT shooter when ranked with other point guards. I'd hate to replace him with a very poor 3 PT shooter.

 

I’m seeing the potential for him to be a Draymond / Shawn Marion hybrid - the playmaking of Draymond, the rebounding of Marion and the defense of both. If he can develop a reliable corner set shot (not sure what else to call it) like Marion, I think that’s a great fit with this lineup and a lot more realistic and sustainable than trying to run the offense like a typical guard would.

 

3 yrs how many more yrs are we going to wait for him to grow? If by growing you mean improving his outside shot then this should've already been done within the 1st three yrs of his career.

Speaking of this how much improvement do you expect from Amen's outside shooting in yr 2 after seeing how little Green has improved in 3 yrs? Seems to me like Stone has drafted a bunch of athletic guys that cant shoot. That's not a championship formula. IMHO

 

Oh I don't deny that Jalen has the talent. I have not given up all hope. And unlike many posters here, I don't just dismiss his "flashes" as flukes against weaker competition. They are real indicators of his basketball abilities.

That said, I am still skeptical about whether he can put it all together consistently enough and be a good to great player. Any NBA player can put up monsters games. The difference between good players and mediocre, even bad, players is how often they can do it. Maybe Jalen is a late bloomer and he needs more time. But we don't have more time to wait for him. This is his last season on rookie contract. Decisions will be made sooner than later. Can he put it together soon enough to stick around? My non-scientific estimated odds are 40%. (Frankly, nobody has a scientific estimate. Some people say it as if they have crystal ball certainty. They just have overblown confidence of their own opinions.)

 

It doesn't really matter much anymore. Jalen doesn't have this upcoming year to figure his **** out. If he starts out inconsistent....again...he should be benched. It's been enough time. If he was even league average for a starting SG last year, we would've been a playoff team. The March stretch bought him another couple of months.

 

Answer me this:

1 on 1 game to 11 who wins?

Sheppard Vs Jalen

Answer and draw your own conclusions accordingly.

 

Jalen would cook Sheppard in every single game of 1 on 1 they ever play.

 

not sure what the point of this is

but while you're at it

Jalen vs Cam
Jalen vs Amen

 

I am ready to see Tar on the floor with Amen. Just them two would be stealing everything. Add Sheppard and no ball will be safe. Not to mention Sengun is no slouch creating loose ball himself for a center. I think a lineup with Sheppard, Amen, Tari, Bari, and Sengun will be devastating defensively.