Good post. It is what any rational Rockets fan believes. BTG will be calling you a moron in 1, 2, 3 …..
I believe in him in the sense that I believe he'll be what I thought he'd be given the chance: A role player with a great outside shot, who's undersized but can probably be a PG sharpshooter, but nobody in contention for all-stars etc. I don't believe and never did believe he would be: CP3 with a better shot Steve Nash Cocaine Curry And whilst people thought I was being disrespectful comparing him to a JJ Redick style player, that would be a success story. Comparing him to the legends above is where any disrespect existed, and it wasn't to Reed.
Reedy Del Blanco Vinny Del Negro Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com Reed Sheppard Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com
I was hoping for more, but you look at Mark Price, Fred VanVleet, John Stockton & Steve Nash - they all took until their mid 20's to really blossom. Sheppard needs to keep improving and learning how to control the flow of the game. For now, he is role player and I don't expect him to take VanVleet's starting spot this year and probably not next year. I think he will be a positive contributor, just not on an all-nba path for now - More Jabari Smith Jr. than Amen Thompson or Sengun.
My confidence is slipping. He looked a tad amateurish in the summer league games. Seemed a step behind, slightly out of position. Shooting was sporadic.
I believe he will be as good as the Rockets think he will be. As in, if they are willing to invest in him, I think he will succeed. If they treat him like Matt Maloney, then I think he will be Matt Maloney. I think he more than any other young player on this team need the right environment to develop. But the Rockets may not be able to provide that since they are prioritizing winning a title right now.
It says a lot we put so much faith in him that we went all in on an aging PJ Tucker like player and dried up Capela instead of a proper guard who can create.
I had this dream one night where Udoka gave Reed his first start ever and threw him in there against OKC and in the dream dude went off for 25 pts on 10/17 shooting .588 from the field and 3/7 .429 from 3 and also had 5 assists and 2 steals. Then I woke up. Damn, I wish that dream was real!!
I do. I think Reed was raised and coached in the non AAU environment and that has made his cautious about taking bad shots. I think he over thinks a lot and underestimates his skill as a shooter. I believe working witb Fred and Durant will unlock him next season. I have more confidence in Reed than I did in Jabari after his rookie year tbh.
That SL game against the Pistons ... ugh. I've been a big Reed fan, but he was dreadful. I'll close my eyes and hope he was just out of shape and wiped out. Because his whole performance — the bad decisions, the passes to nobody, the throwing himself at a 3-point shooter, the letting guys blow by him and then chasing and swiping — was embarrassing.
He strikes me as the type of player that excels when the team around him is competent. The summer league roster is ass, there’s only so much he can do if the defense only has to guard him - he’s not there yet with his development to carry a bad roster. However, if he’s not performing in the regular season when the supporting cast around him is better I will be worried. All logic says that his shooting ability should allow him to capitalize on doubles thrown at Durant, Sengun, plus Amen drive and kicks. He can add value immediately as that shooter and ball handler off the pump fake / relocate. I’ll reserve my judgement until mid season after 40 games of consistent minutes.
I think he lacks CP3 and Harden's bravado. He thinks too much. CP3 never did he was a hustler from day 1. My biggest takeaway was how often defenders would force him to either pick up his dribble or pass it off to an outlet even under solo pressure. Daishen Nix did that to him last Summer League. I'm probably somewhere in between the first two answers but ultimately think he just needs more reps. Against Detroit he just looked frustrated and it started to show itself on the defensive side of the ball as well. Those lazy swipes and getting lost on defense were a bad look. I have high hopes for Reed (as well as Bari) but I can call a spade a spade when I see it.
I was okay with Reed as the pick. I do think he’s a far better player with the ball in his hands. I don’t think he’s got a “bag” yet and may never be a “blow by defender” guy. He’s never had to. But those are techniques you can develop. But he’s also never going to be a high usage/primary scorer guy either, at least on a contender. He will be a guy that can get HOT for stretches and win games for you.
I wish the team and Reed put his focus into skills that will carve out consistent playing time. Or, in other words, how he can he play off of Amen/Sengun/KD. They will have the ball in their hands a lot. This team needs Reed to be able to find the open spaces on the court and knock down set shots with varying types of closeouts. He was drafted as an elite shooter. He must be that consistently. Then, he needs to be able to consistently make the right decisions on fast breaks and secondary playmaking opportunities. If you were frustrated with Reed not being allowed to play through mistakes last year, don't hold your breath for that this year. This team has big aspirations and Reed just won't be given big minutes, he will have to take/earn them.
Yes, the swipes, ridiculous. That's 8th grade stuff. But he did seem frustrated (it was revealing to see him captured on mic whining to the ref), and maybe that got the better of him. That's what I'm hoping, anyway.
I was never that high on him. I always thought he was a role player with the upside to be the next Fred VanVleet.
He will make a great play and then follow it up with an awful play. I think he has enough physical talent to be good. But, at times he looks lost and confused out there. He’s young, so I expect there to be a learning curve. I think because he doesn’t have the explosiveness to overpower his opponent, his decision making and craftiness has to be perfect for him to have success. He’s just not at that point yet. But, he might get there.
