I think with Amen, it’s a chicken and egg thing. He will be our most important space creator if he starts hitting layups and gets more comfortable with his decision making (when to shoot, when to pass). His expected assists number is 11, Sengun’s is 11.9. He’s had some bad luck with players missing 3’s off his passes or his assist numbers would be better. He hasn’t really passed the ball to cutters or to people in the lane very much at all, although in the Orlando game he did feed Adams 4 times for dunks or layups that he bricked. The two bigs lineup and all the isolation we are running is killing our spacing. Ime is stubborn and only injuries cause him to make changes. He’s using Tari’s injury to run out his 2 bigs lineup, regardless of how many games where he has been proven wrong on reducing Okogie’s minutes to run it out with such frequency.
So far, I like his passing touch. Very crisp. His assist/TO ratio is pretty good. Sometimes he still hesitates not knowing whether to shoot or to pass.
Agreed on biking up but he can continue to get stronger, especially with his core so his balance improves. Still only 21 and starting to excite even some of the fans that never believed in him.
Report from the Suns game: I couldn't watch this one live. Loved the game thread, though. Finally had a chance to sit down with the video. 1. Reed started the game with the right defensive mentality and execution. On each possession, he took the initiative right away, closing space with the ball handler and choosing which way to force him. The key is not to wait and be a victim. He has the footwork and balance now to dictate the attacker's options. This also puts him in the best position for steals. I knew from the game thread and the box score that Reed had an off shooting night. But when I saw the video, I didn't mind, because it was clear that he's made a big leap in understanding how to defend most effectively with the skills he has. 2. Another reason I didn't mind the missed shots: Against this relatively weak team, Reed took multiple opportunities to penetrate and create. On several plays I saw him driving in, drawing 3 or 4 guys, and finding the open man. A couple of wobbles, but he's getting better at it. And his court vision is so much better than any other guard on our team. On that point, one other thing: You can see him using the same court vision on defense. Usually he's out front in the zone, so the court vision doesn't come into play. But when the ball goes to the corner, and Reed pivots with more of the court in his field of vision, he sees what's developing and anticipates, better than anyone else, where to be. Caused a couple of handy turnovers that way. 3. A new thing I noticed in this game: fatigue. As the first quarter wore on, Reed's reaction time and foot speed slowed a little bit. And that was fatal: He ended up trailing the play or being slightly late in rotation. At his size, the effect of being slow or late is enormous. He has to be sharp. He has to be able to use his speed to grab the initiative and close down options. Otherwise he becomes a serious liability and the defense starts to unravel. I wonder whether this is one reason why Ime doesn't start him. 4. Bonus shout-out: JD Davison. I was unimpressed with this guy in preseason. But in this game he showed a big upgrade in performance. Solid defense, some decent creation in the offense, and great hustle throughout. I'm starting to feel less anxious about his minutes.
I’m enjoying the R33D review!! Thank you!! The Suns are a far worse team than the record indicates. Dillon stepping into a “primary option” role will prove to be bad for business.
Still butthurt, I see. Sorry to give a riposte to a wannabe smart alec. But look at the video and see how many passes Reed got in the second half after dropping 20 points in the first half. That's on the coach. Ok, proceed with your trying to be a smart alec posts.
Crazy stat is that Reed has already played more minutes this year than he did through the end of January last year. Not to mention the intensity of those minutes; he's now part of the opposing team scouting report, is getting hunted on defense, ball pressured on offense, and isn't just being stuck in the corner while the rest of the team gets their shots. Would not be surprised in the least if Reed has a pretty significant downswing soon, effectively hitting a "rookie wall", and we are going to be hearing about "Linsanity/Flash in the Pan" until he gets his legs back under him. Just another phase of his development. As you said, it's extra important for guys like Reed and FVV because they have zero margin for error. Playing hurt/playing fatigued is one of those NBA skills that you can't really fake or practice; only way to figure out how to deal with the grind of the season or an injured whatever is to go through it and learn to cope.
He is going to have to play through super physical defense that all teams are going to employ until it proves to hurt them. He is best off-ball for most of the game and Ime should be insisting on screens and movement to get him loose. He should get some reps initiating every game to continue to develop, but right now he is best suited to be a SG spot up shooter.
On a team with Durant, an elite post scorer, and one of the best rim finishers in the game you’ve got to pick your poison. As long as he can get them the rock, it would SILLY to even flash help at Reed. This is how good teams get great.
I give Reed an A+ on his report card this year, but even that doesn't do him justice on his improvement and value to this team. On improvement he's gone from 35.1 to 49.0 on FG%. He's gone from 33.8 to 47.1 on 3 PT%. He's raised his TS% from 46.5 to 63.8%. You can't expect any player to improve more than that in a year. We went from 21st in the league in 3 PT% to #1, and Reed is a big part of that. Eason is #1 and Reed is #8 in the league. We have 3 guys in the top 100 in TS%. Eason #34, Sheppard #37, and Durant #72. Sheppard is only behind Sengun on the NBA leaders list in FG%. They are #55 and #56 on the list. Thompson is #59 and Durant is #62. Now some use Effective FG%, and under that stat the Rockets have 2 in the top 100. Sheppard is #13 with 62.9% and Durant is #96 with 53.6%. There's another stat under a site called teamrankings.com that ranks steals+blocks by value. We have 2 players on that list. Reed at #45 and Thompson at #56. We only have two players out of the top 100 in the NBA for ASST/TO ranking. Reed is #49 and Thompson #94. Reed's team value is huge! It will only get better. I just wish Ime made more of an attempt to draw up and set smart and creative screens like the Warriors have built their system on. That would really help Reed work his magic. They need that drilled into them at practice.
Reed is a player in progress. His potential is high. His progress has sped up this season, but it is still ongoing. He could take a great leap forward or make incremental improvements. Like anyone, he will have ups and downs. We don't need him "to be a star." We need him to be a reliable contributor.
Current grade: better than Payton Pritchard for sure. Also better than TJ McConnell who will have shot fewer 3s in his career than Reed will shoot this season.
in my mind Reed has both elevated his ultimate floor and his potential ceiling. if we continue to work with him at point guard I think he is going to end up very very effective. He is smart and he makes quick decisions. he might not be the point guard that penetrates all the way to the rim for the dunk, but he can certainly get to the basket and create offense or stop short and hit the mid range.
I'll admit this is just a fan POV, but: When we're facing relatively easy prey like the Suns, I'd love to give Reed the green light to spend a few possessions (here or there, not all at once) seeing what he can do from the foul line or thereabouts. Give him a screen or some other action to get him inside the arc, and then let him react to what the defense does. The goal would be to give him reps against NBA defenders, in real games, so he gets savvier, quicker, more confident, and more effective in his decisions. Easy to say that as a fan. Harder to do it as a coach, since you're risking these possessions every time you entrust them to a youngster with not the greatest handle (instead of, say, KD or Sengun). But if you could speed up Reed's veteran-ization enough to use him this way in the playoffs, as an interior creator, that would be sweet.
I don’t know to what degree he will be reliable in the playoffs as far as an initiator or scorer, but they can certainly do that stuff right now and I would love to see him continue to take a couple of mid range shots, and drive the ball a couple times a game. he is definitely picking up his touch and I see him as a perfect compliment to Thompson over the next 6 to 7 years.
