It will interesting to see Kolek vs Sheppard..cause Kolek really passed like Nash or Deron Williams out there. Shepp is the better scorer but boy can Kolek pass. Wild wizard like.
If Reed gets playing time I think he will be rookie of the year. I also think he is good enough to force playing time.
He has 4 years college experience, 3 as the unquestioned primary ballhandler. Sheppard has one season with semi regular ball handling duties. I sure would hope Kolek is better in that regard, he was a mediocre player on a low level George Mason team when he was a freshman.
Sam Vecenie on his pod just said that he’s so impressed with Reed that he thinks Reed may legitimately be the highest upside swing out of all the young guys on the Houston roster. Holy smokes.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40611428/2024-nba-summer-league-roundtable-surprises-best-fits What has been the biggest surprise at summer league? Tim Bontemps: From the start of summer league, Reed Sheppard looked the part. I was high on Sheppard's potential during the draft process, and he showed with his play in Las Vegas why the Rockets should be very excited about his future in Houston -- where he could be a perfect fit alongside Amen Thompson as a long-term backcourt tandem. If it weren't for the crowded Houston roster and rotation, he would be my clear pick for Rookie of the Year. Which rookie will have an immediate impact on their NBA team? Kendra Andrews: As the young Rockets look to take the next step, Reed Sheppard will have an immediate role. He has looked comfortable since the start of summer league, finding his shooting spots with ease and acting as floor general. These tools will earn him minutes in Houston in support of the Rockets' young core of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun. Ohm Youngmisuk: Sheppard looked confident and performed above his size of 6-foot-2, 182-pounds. He averaged 20 points, 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds, and he shot 50% from the field. But he surprised on the defensive end, averaging 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks. Obviously, things will get much tougher at the next level, but Sheppard looks up for the task. And if summer league is any indication, the Kentucky product is going to be a fan favorite. Jeremy Woo: It's obvious at this point that Houston needs to play Sheppard. His ability to space the floor will be crucial, and he'll operate with less playmaking workload thanks to the number of creators on the floor around him. I'm not saying he'll be a starter, but what we saw from him in Vegas portends well for his ability to help the Rockets immediately.
I’m one of the biggest Sengun guys, so before summer league when I said I may be higher on Reed than Sengun the people on rocketswatch laughed. With Sengun I think the whole archetype issue is overstated, but you do need to play a rim protecting floor spreader next to him for the optimal team construction. While Reed’s weaknesses are a lot easier to hide and he fits in any team construction. It’s also just easier for a guard to be a creator than a center. So if Reed has a higher upside than Sengun we don’t even need to talk about Jalen.
I honestly don't even think this is a hot take. Even before the draft I thought Green's realistic ceiling was a Bradley Beal or Zach Lavine. While they are good players and deserving of max money, they're clearly a level below the stars that actually win you championships. And since then Green's lack of playmaking improvements and decision-making after he gets by his man has only cemented this feeling. Among the Rockets players, the only player I feel Green's ceiling is higher than is Tari, and maybe Jabari. Cam, Amen, Sengun all have higher realistic ceilings. Sengun mostly because he's almost there already, and Cam/Amen because they were rookies with more time to grow.
I was in the same boat with the Lavine comp for Green. The problem is these players are NOT worth the max. Both Lavine and Beal are massively negative contracts that you can’t give away without attaching other assets.
THANK YOU, that is why I was on Clutch's channel last night saying I would trade Green now for future considerations - or maybe take something like Lonzo and 2 FRP's for Green...... DD
I think you misunderstand, if you factor in that he did all of that with his 3 ball not falling the way it normally would, it's more impressive....so leaving that out was the opposite of "dress up"
This was my general take prior to Summer League, though his play there is kinda modifying my view. They basically forced him to make plays out of nothing, and he did better than I expected (especially with his 3pt shot mostly MIA). I'm a Morey acolyte, so I'm no fan of long 2s. But if Reed is going to have a mid range game comparable to CP3, CJ McCollum, etc., then that does kinda change things (and I knew he was decent here, but I didn't expect that kind of 85+ percentile outcome). If he's going to be reliable there, then yeah I might actually prefer throwing it to Reed with 10 seconds left on the shot clock (after a busted play) than some of the other options. To be clear, I'm not saying that will happen right away. But if he continues to improve (maybe at an accelerated rate as implied by Sam?), then I think there's a strong possibility that he could be the guy you want with the ball in pretty much any crucial situation.
They were worth their original max extensions off their rookie contracts. They weren't worth their second max, but a lot of that is also due to them being injured in addition to not being a true superstar. Beal got neutral value in the trade despite that ridiculous contract and injury history. I would say if Green plays like Beal this upcoming season, the Rockets are absolutely giving him a max contract, regardless of whether he's technically worth it.
