The vertical jump number is far and away the most overrated measure of athleticism. I like that Reed isn't grounded and has some hops, but his horizontal quickness on defense, with the ball in his hands and moving without the ball on offense are what really count. Overall foot speed is important too.
IMO, a much better example for Reed than JJ Redick is Steph Curry. Redick wasn't a PG in any sense of the word. He was almost purely an off-the-ball player. I'm hoping Reed can regularly bring the ball up the court, set up the offense, penetrate/distribute when a big man is guarding him and even finish on occasion.
Yea I agree, Reed having handles, makes the Steph Curry comparisons more apt. I almost never saw JJ Reddick taking mid range pull ups like this kid.
I thought mk that's why FVV is pretty much the go to comparison for the kid. Definitely has more on ball ability than someone like Reddick coming into the league. FVV isn't nearly the pipe dream that Steph Curry is. Reed having a FVV type career is something that is a reasonable expectation.
Reed is still more like Curry because he's more of a thin rail with insane shooting range. FVV is shorter, tougher, heavier and much more physical on both ends of the floor. Sorry, I didn't mean to hype how great Reed's career will be. LOL, I know he ain't gonna be no Steph Curry, just comparing how he plays the game.
When I said that, I just meant in terms of learning the skill so he can add it to his arsenal. Reed may well emerge as a primary ballhandler/starting PG, but right now he's an undersized shooter in a league of insane athletes who are mostly taller, faster and longer than he is and he has a basic handle. It's easier to add shooting in motion off a screen when you're already an elite shooter than it is to add Steph Curry's handle when you have Kyle Lowry's handle.
Like another poster said, I think that is already in his arsenal and was very well demonstrated at UK. Sure, he can improve it some. I also think Reed's handles are a bit better than you realize. When defenders attacked his dribble Friday, he easily dismissed them and continued moving forward. (Yes, I know this is only SL). Let's watch him 1-2 more times in Vegas and go from there.
I didn't see it in the games I watched, or the advanced handle really. If he has it then great, can only be better for us in the long run.
C'mon man, gimme a break. His body is like Steph Curry's, not FVV's. Just ignore the word "rail" which I used for effect.
I keep seeing people talk about how thin Sheppard is, he's seems to have a perfectly fine NBA frame particularly given that he's only 20. FVV as a man in his 30's is obviously thicker now, but at Reeds age he wasn't, neither was CP3. He has a very similar build to what they had in college.
FVV was my immediate comp and I still think it makes the most sense--although I think Reed has a good chance of being a better shooter in terms of percentages, which would also increase his scoring, and he's also slightly bigger and more athletic. So perhaps you could say somewhere halfway between FVV and Curry would be a realistic ceiling expectation if you're really high on him.
Idk about yall, but Vanfleet in college looks more muscular than Reed does right now. Also Cp3 was a hell of a lot faster than Reed in Wake forest.
No surprises with Reed, Rockets made the right pick. Houston has a boatload of young talent. Still think Cam will turn out to be the biggest steal.
Reed is literally a good to greats athlete by NBA standards. Testing proves this. Above average to elite in every athletic test. In fact he tested significantly faster than Chris Paul and jumped higher
