Reed needs to go to G league and spend some time building his confidence. Not sure why the Rockets won't do that!
Eh. Tried telling him. Ignore function until he acts like an adult. Fills up this thread with insults towards a rookie every other post that is trying to integrate himself to a team full of vets and more established players. It's crossed over into this weird hate-obsession thing. I don't mind discussing players that I have high hopes for or not but when people start to sling insults, especially at a rookie like Reed, it gets hard to deal with.
While i agree that minutes should be largely earned, having a super short leash with a rookie is counter productive, especially if you don't have anyone competent behind them. If Jalen, Sengun, Jabari, and Amen had that kind of short leash, they'd have basically never played and it would have stunted their development. Players can develop on their own despite coaching that has no interest in doing anything for them, but it usually takes a lot longer when it happens.
Honestly a lot of them should feel pretty stupid already given some of the things they've been saying. We have one moron in here claiming that Reed Sheppard has poor shooting mechanics.... that statement alone should be enough to bar that person from any basketball conversation forever.
Hey, I have a brilliant idea! How about Reed actually showing he can produce during those minutes Ime actually gives him? If he somehow managed to flash those Nash-esque skills even half the time he's on the court, there's no question he'd be given most of Holiday's minutes. The way I see it, Sheppard has just blown the best opportunity he's had yet at getting more minutes. With Van Vleet out for nearly an eighth of the season at this point, Reed has still disappointed during the time he's been given, especially on D. So much so that Udoka has started a lineup without a true PG and brought a lifetime retread like Holiday off the bench before even looking in Reed's direction. Bottom line: Great players will find a way to shine during limited PT. Sheppard needs to force Ime's hand by actually playing like a #3 pick.
I would take this more seriously if Holiday was better defensively than Sheppard. He's already shown what he can do with just a little bit of leeway and coaches that aren't looking for any excuse to permanently bench him..... and that's why they won't let him go back down to the g league and show them up even more.
Was listening to the game theory podcast and Sam mentioned something I wasn’t aware of. The only small guard who has played well his rookie year in the last decade was Trae Young. He was adamant that it takes small guards much longer. It was a good reminder that Reed deserves our patience. If we trade him as part of a package for a star, fine, but I’m going to assume that he comes back next year and is a much better player throughout the season. I’m not panicking. I think it’s hilarious so many people are writing off this kid mid-way through his rookie year. I’m calling it right now. People will be writing Reed apology threads by the end of next season.
#3 overall usually has a longer leash because bad teams can afford to start or play heavy minutes for these high value picks. Not the case with a co tending team like HOU this season. A good example is bottom dwelling Rockets starting #3 overall Jabari Smith thru thick and thin his rookie season. Reed Sheppard will learn from this rough rookie season + will be just fine. Perhaps not an All Star but neither are any of the Rockets top 5 players.
I'm just gonna leave this here. Aaron Holiday, as he is now, may be a little more effective than Reed. But Holiday is nowhere near the kind of player that Reed will become, and him struggling his rookie year won't change that. If Ime feels like Holiday has earned more minutes this season, so be it. I trust Ime's judgement more than any of us talking here on the forum. But I am willing to guarantee that Reed will very soon be a far superior NBA guard than Holiday is, and I hope I never need to watch Aaron Holiday suit up for us again--especially once R33d gets going. Hopefully I'll be able to come back to this comment in a season or two and pat myself on the back about it...
I don't like when he volleys back and forth between Holiday & Reed...for a shooter, he needs to find his rhythm. Also, for a rookie that is struggling to find his shot, this can be very disruptive for his progress - which is starting to become evident...I see the potential in Reed, but I still would've drafted Castle over Reed...in my opinion, you should always draft the best available player on the board vs. positional needs...Portland Trailblazers are the perfect example of that (84 drafted Bowie over Jordan and 07 drafted Oden over Durant).
27.5% SAD. Is he going to get better? Player | 3P% | 3P Attempts per Game (Rookie Season) ---------------------------------|-------|-------------------------------------- Reed Sheppard (Kentucky) | 52.1% | 4.4 Reed Sheppard (Rockets) | 27.5% | 2.5 Chris Paul | 28.2% | 2.3 Jason Terry | 29.3% | 1.9 Jason Kidd | 27.2% | 3.3 Steve Novak | 33.3% | 1.1 Steve Nash | 41.8% | 0.8 Stephen Curry | 43.7% | 4.8 Ray Allen | 39.3% | 3.6 Klay Thompson | 41.4% | 4.1 James Harden | 37.5% | 3.3
I agree. The Rockets decided at the trade deadline that they were not going to make a run for it this year…..therefore give both Reed and Cam 20+ minutes a game to develop. Makes no sense to be playing 37 year old Jeff Green over Cam who needs the experience and reps. Doesn’t feel like Ime and Stone are on the same page as Ime seems like a win now guy and Stone seems like a win in 3-4 years guy. Remember Stone held Silas back by not letting him play Wall.
Even if Rockets not top 5 team this season, the roster was already jam packed and rotations set prior to drafting Reed. And Udoka is not the most patient HC, his goal is winning.
