It's hysterical that someone who took (and still takes) every opportunity to **** all over Green for his flaws has a total blind spot when it comes to Sheppard's very real ones. There are no gray areas in that brain of yours; it's all one end of the spectrum or the other in Bobbyworld. And "Reed would be a star if Ime weren't holding him back!" may be the biggest vibe take of all.
Is it really surprising that I criticized Green for the flaws that the numbers said were in his game while stupid people suggested they didn't exist....and now when those stupid people who ignore the numbers criticize players for flaws the numbers say are not present (or are heavily exaggerated), I disagree? Try to think about that for a while and see if you can figure it out. I have my doubts, but maybe you can surprise me.
What are we thinking will be a successful second year for our boy Reed? Coming off the bench I'm guessing he's going to get 18-25 consistent minutes a night now.
Reed definitely needs to get better at playing defense. There's no question...But I think some of the issues with the criticism on that end is that people act like he's a complete cone. Yeah, I'd prefer he be able to wall up against most ball handlers, but his instincts and penchant for getting steals and blocks IS valuable.
I don't have specific numbers I'm looking for right off the top of my head, but just in general I think Reed needs to show that he is the clear heir apparent behind Fred and at the very least he should be causing debates about whether he needs to be the starter by the end of this year. And not because Fred is playing poorly... I'm expecting Fred to have a good season playing next to KD. Honestly, I'm not worried about Reed showing these things because I think he could have proved this last season under different circumstances.
I agree. Some aspects of his defense are exceptional, while some are pretty substandard for an NBA player. I have to assume those substandard parts are what Ime has him focusing on for 40 minutes every workout before doing any kind of shooting.
I love players who show court vision and creativity, so that will always make me a Sheppard fan. But on the defensive end, I'm leery of judging by steals and blocks. Steals in particular can be a misleading stat, like interceptions in football. There are corners and safeties who specialize in picks — and get glory for those highlights — but who are porous on average. Much better to have DBs who cover well and smother the QB's options so their teammates can capitalize with sacks or picks. What I want to see from Sheppard is better performance at cutting off drives, holding his ground, and forcing players to unload the ball or take bad shots. The stuff that doesn't show up in highlights but wins games.
Reed was abused defensively last year but his hands showed promise to be a disrupter. Anyone who watched saw he was physically out matched and thats okay
I'm not as fussed by the counting numbers. Hoping for at least 37% from 3 and a 2:1 or better turnover ratio. I don't expect he's going to carry much of a load, I just want him to do what he's supposed to do when his number's called for now. If he's Fred's replacement in the future running alongside Amen then he needs to 1.Protect the ball, and 2. Hit the threes he was drafted to hit. I never expected him to be a star anyway, if his career was the PG version of JJ Redick with a better handle and low turnovers I'd consider that a massive success (and he'd fit like a glove.)
Yeah, I count myself as a Reed optimist, but I don't see any defensive numbers from last season that suggest he's a good defender, outside of good steal/block numbers. I see those as being a very small part of defense as a whole. I'm not sure if that's what bobby was referring to or not.
Yes this is what many scouting reports say. He’s made a lot of big highlight worthy defensive plays in his career. Like Cowboys DB Daron Bland in 2023. After Watching Reed’s performances last year thats exactly what he did. He Gambles for steals and doesn’t stay in front of the ball handler. Needs to stop playing d with just his hands. Move those feet and cut off the drive.
Man, where's the volume button?! Turn this allllllllll the way up. Just gonna throw some numbers out here... he played 52 games which I think on a guess I'd have probably said 30.... I've got a hidden point for sure, so tread carefully lol If he logged over the season something like this: 18 minutes per game 8 points on 6 fga 4ish boards, 2 assists and a 2:1 t/o ratio 1-1.5 stocks per game 43 fg%, 39 3%, 82% FT Would that do it for you? Would you be telling folks about Fred's replacement?
Im not here to say Reed is some lock down defender. He needs to be much better at the poa. And im not sure what your definition of "good" is... ...But most people consider FVV a good defender. People consider Holiday a decent defender... Reed had a better defensive rating than both. Reed was better than Holiday in EVERY defensive statistical category. Reed and Fred had identical DBPM and other than DWS Reed was better than him in other defensive categories. I get the eye test shows Reed getting picked on and beat (so do fred and Holiday at times, but we dont hyper focus on it)....but if we look at Fred as a "good" defender then its hard to say we dont see ANY stats that indicate Reed is a good defender.
