Reed was drafted too high for what he was able to provide at the time. He was a reach. That doesn't mean he can't evolve into being a very nice player. Hopefully last night was a glimpse of what that could look like down the line. He has a lot of ability and skill, if he can consistently put it all together he could be really good. He just wasn't ready yet last year.
I think we should have drafted for upside(Steph Castle would have been my pick) and instead we drafted for need - namely shooting and Reed was one of the few players who provided shooting in spades and reasonable upside. I think the thing people forget about that draft is it was widely considered to be a weaker draft and I heard people say Reed is a 8-10th pick type of player in another draft which I think checks out. It wasn't that Reed was a "reach" so much as the top end of this draft was the start of the 5th pick in another draft. There were literally no "ready" players in this draft - all have needed development time and so far all look like varying shades of role players at best.
Reed Sheppard does really well in g league games and games against bad NBA teams. Nobody is pressuring his handles or closing out hard on his shots. He is a great YMCA league player. He didn’t even start against a terrible nets team. He played “well” against the bench of a really bad team. That is his current performance level. Until he shows he can play competently against the bench of average to good teams, I think he is useless. By competently, I mean (1) stop committing dumb turnovers, (2) stop playing scared or hesitant, (3) quit dribbling down the shot clock without advancing an offensive possession, (4) stop being abused on the defensive end, and (5) make open shots. Essentially, stop playing so badly. Note, I’m not saying he needs to be a plus player against average to good teams. I’m saying stop being a negative. The “good minutes” he provides against bad teams can be provided by Holidays or Davison probably. *** All this said, I do think it is a good idea to keep playing him. He cannot improve without minutes. Nor can we shove him to the end of the bench yet, not without giving him the opportunity to play better. I like Ime’s decision to bring him off the bench. He can be given more minutes or a bigger role if he earns it.
Im not going to say he's not good at anything, because if you make it to this level, you have to be good at something. However, with that being said, I think the Rockets can do better at the backup guard position. When Reed goes up against quality competition he just does not matchup well. The last Pre-season game and last night's game are perfect examples of when he plays well. He played well in those games, because the competition level was low but against OKC and Detriot, Reed was MIA. He just does not play well against upper teir competition and players with length. I would like for him to be as productive as possible until Dec 15th, then trade him. He's owed $10M this yr and a team option next yr.
Curry was in college still at same age. If he's a role player for 3 years and turns into Curry 2.0, no one will care. If he shoots 40% from 3 and becomes a solid defender as expected, no one will care.
Why on earth would you trade him? He's showing flashes and his best case scenario is a perfect fit for need. I mean, someone offers 3 unprotected picks, sure, but you think we're better off with a cam whitmore return or slightly better?
I'm not sold on Castle.... 50.1% from 2 and 28.5% from 3 doesn't profile into a premium offensive player. I just see young Demar Derozan... useful player but not a building block.
Reed has more upside. Not even close. He isn't as developed or nba ready. His feet need work defensively but he's a good risk taker and opportunistic. He reads passing lanes well. Offensively night and day for potential. I think best case scenario for each player: Baby Curry Or Baby Derozan
He reminds me of early Jalen Petrie... has his weaknesses but just makes good plays based on good instincts...
I feel like when Reed plays with the second unit he plays more loose and to his potential. Could be he's too concerned with deferring to veterans. I'd maybe like to see how a lineup of: Amen Thompson Reed Sheppard Dorian Finney Smith Tari Eason Clint Capela Runs as a second unit... push tempo, run pick and roll...
In Steph's second year at Davidson he shot 43.9% from 3, which was only 19' 9" then. Reed is currently shooting 44% from the NBA three, which is much farther. In Steph's third season in college he shot 38.7% from the 3-point line that had been lengthened to 20' 9" that year.
Look, I like reed but sample size and shooting is one element. As you point out, a little apples to oranges. I don't feel he needs to be Curry 2.0. I would love 80% the player. Every guy develops differently.
Bro, people forget how many guys lit it up in college and never became anything close to Steph. Jimmer Fredette was pulling up from half court at BYU and couldn’t stick in the league. Doug McDermott shot like 46% from three and turned into a role player. Even Adam Morrison was a college god. Reed’s nice, but comparing him to Curry is wild. Steph changed the game, not just hit open threes.
Yeah, players like Castle is not hard to find. The Rockets have a bunch of them already. If he was with the Rockets, whose place would he be taking? He is basically a very poor man's Amen Thompson. So he can't really play alongside Amen because their strengths and weaknesses overlap almost totally only that Castle is nowhere close to Amen's level.
I was just comparing the shooting. I'm not saying Reed will become Curry; obviously he plays the game differently than Steph. I see Reed's ceiling as a solid starter.
Reed should still be in college, he wasn't close to ready for the NBA. However when a chance to go top 5 in a weak draft presents itself you would be a fool to not take it. His development was always gonna be slower than others. Without the body to physically impose or create things his improvement was gonna be predicated on learning angles, positioning and improving his handles under NBA pressure. There are a lot of examples of good players down around his size, but almost none of them were making significant impact on NBA games early in their 3rd year removed from high school. We have 4 years to figure out what the ballpark of his ceiling is.
