Isn't "hang time" just a myth? Like once a player is off the ground they can't control how long they hang in the air--that's just physics But yes, like I said, it doesn't really matter. On overall standing reach + vertical leap combined, he's above average for his height, and that's what's important.
Maybe? I mean the Spurs have won 5 titles, and it was like 4 years ago that they were still very competitive. They have Wemby now as a focal point and if he stays healthy, he is only going to get better and better. They also have Sochan, Johnson and Vassell - they have money for free agents if that is what they want - and they have the Hawks draft assets and their own draft picks as well. I don't think it is just playing time - because it isn't like the Rockets backcourt is lightening it up either. Green's future is in limbo on the Rockets, FVV is old, Thompson cannot shoot at this point and there will be minutes. Sheppard can play next to Green or Thompson. I don't think he can play defensively next to FVV though. Defensively - Ime wants long players, as you can see by the players they are interested in with their second round pick - so maybe that is a consideration for Sheppard, that it is a potentially poor defensive fit - but FVV isn't big. I think that it could be that they just believe that the Spurs will better utilize his talent.
Yes and no - hangtime is really the ability of some players to adjust and make plays in that half second that they are in the air. Having a big vertical helps extend it, but there are some players with the body control and the awareness to adjust in short windows of time. Reed has shown that on some defensive plays closing in the air, as well as sometimes around the basket.
I just watched the Kentucky and Tennessee game and I realize two things with Reed. He cannot play defense, he is limited laterally. However he can be a average defender, because our his basketball IQ, quick hands and his vertical leap helps him to rebound and block shots against his opponents. Also, he is a smart player on the offense side of the ball. He pass the ball directly where the ball needs to go and he can shoot. The Tennessee game was a big game and it was in SEC…he hit big shot after big shot…he is not a shot creator. However, if you give him a pick or a rub from his opponent he only needs small space to get his shot off. Honestly, when he was shooting I felt “Stephen Curry Vibes”….seriously. If you get too close he drives to the basket and either he will shoot and pop, or drive and kick to another player. I’m a big Clingan fan but, Reed is different. If his shot is not working, he is average offense guy and a liability on defense. However, Clingan will always be a elite defender because he is 7’3 and 283 pounds…not many men are that big in the NBA and play like him on the defense side. The only thing I worry about Clingan is his lower body injuries, he missed some games this year and he reminds me of Yao…because of his injury history.
Amen Green ended up in the dunkers spot because of injury and because he was a poor outside shooter, it wasn't because he couldn't handle the basketball. Reed Sheppard averaged 29 minutes a game last year, where games are only 40 minutes long. He was third on his team in minutes, and lead all freshmen on his team in minutes. DJ Wagner started over Sheppard, because Wagner had been promised he would start when he signed. He averaged more minutes than Stephon Castle for example. I wouldn't say that he has a 1% chance of breaking into the top 6 - I think it is higher than that, but I agree that absent injuries, FVV is going to start along with Jalen Green. I still think there will be opportunities to play though, just as there was for Amen and others. I think he would be in the rotation. Jalen Green has shown how good he is capable of being, but he has played longer and has serious issues when it comes to consistency. To me, Green and Jabari are likely worth more in trade because they are younger and under contract longer. Obviously, if Green plays like he did in March, he is the Rockets best player.
Sheppard is perceived to have high floor and low ceiling. Usually high floor guys don't bust. Busts usually happen with players that have great potential but are very raw (low floor high ceiling). Reed Sheppard is not that kind of prospect. If you watch him play, he is fundamentally sound. And his high assist/TO ratio matches the eye test. This kind of players seldom become bad players. His low ceiling is mostly because of his physical limitations which is real. Of course, it depends on your definition of bust. A lot of it maybe have something to do with the high draft position. If he turns out to be a good starter role player, does that count as a bust?
SMH, as others said, you have to ignore hundreds of games where Jalen was flat out terrible and focus entirely on 8 or 9 where he shot well. With Reed, he doesn't have the track record of failure. On top of that you can compare things like shooting mechanics and realize just how hilariously flawed your attempt at an argument is.
Sheppard was a good defender in college, but with his length there are concerns about him at the next level. His lane agility is fine statistically and he makes up for faults with his other attributes. He is never going to be a lock down defender because of switches - but yeah, I think he can be solid overall. He is going to very much be match up dependent when it comes to defense. Offensively you are pretty accurate, except I would say that as the season wore on, he started creating and breaking down defenses because they had to try and pick him up so far from the basket. He isn't Amen or Jalen, where he will just blow by people - he can get by guys, but he isn't that level quick. As for Clingan - I think he will learn to stretch the defense and be a good 3 point shooter in the same way Sam Perkins did - and he will be a solid passer as well. My concern is actually his foot speed. I have ZERO doubt he is a very good defender under the basket, but I don't think he will be great at switching and I think he is a little slow off the ground. He reminds me a lot of Joel Przybilla, who was a good but not great player.
That's exactly what happened when I started actually watching the games, the "Steph Curry vibes" as you call it are there.... and I didn't expect them to be. Obviously when saying something like that there's a need to qualify it by pointing out that it's not saying he's likely to be as good as Steph Curry... but the fact that when you watch you realize that it's even possible is crazy. That's why I'm so high on him and DEFINITELY don't want the Spurs to get him no matter what.
Clingan's low FT% and almost nonexistent 3pt attempts don't inspire optimism for his ever developing into a stretch big. (Sam Perkins was a very good FT shooter in college.) I am guessing that his shooting drills in the combine and maybe in workouts impressed a lot of people and give them hope that he will be a good shooter.
I remember watching the North Carolina vs Kentucky game, he drove to the basket….stopped…and did a quick jump shot over the opponent center. I kept saying to myself how did he jump so high AND stayed in the air for that long to avoid his shot to be blocked….he is only 6’3.
Also, if Reed drives to the basket it’s harder to block his shot because of his vertical. With his vertical, he plays like he is 6’5.
The annual reminder that the favored Reed Sheppard comp, Steph Curry, desperately wanted to go to the D'Antoni-led, pre-Carmelo New York Knicks in 2009, and both his agent and his father thought Golden State was going to be a poor fit with Monta Ellis already established as a smallish lead guard. Fortunately for GS, they disappointed him on draft day; I'd expect that the Rockets similarly will pick with little regard for player preferences, as they should.
It is doubtful he reaches that lofty ceiling but a "poor man's" Curry is not out of the question. The biggest thing is his floor is higher than any other player in this draft IMHO. His bust potential is VERY low and his strengths = the Rockets weaknesses. I don't think anyone would be diappointed with him unless they foolishly expect him to be the next Curry
Another reason to like Reed. He was basically told the same thing at Kentucky. And he didn't bat an eye or seem to care. Still went out, produced and became their best player. Jalen probably won't like it but if anyone needs internal competition....it's him. You're probably right on the SAS front. Perfect spot for them to land because they're with Wemby and are more likely to get playing time as well as a good extension so long as they don't mess up. With the Rockets they have to outplay 6 dudes that are all talented.
Not sure if people realize this, but starting this summer we are going to be in semi-permanent hardball negotiation mode with every one of our young players. It probably started a while ago tbh. We're going to pinch on every dollar of rookie second contracts. The very fact of having other promising young players in our core gives us leverage in contract negotiations with any one player. No entitlement minutes, no entitlement extensions, no crowning of "franchise players" unless they make it impossible to deny, sending guys to RFA to make them prove their market. We have to do this to keep as many assets together as possible. Relationships with agents are going to be stressed. Definite will impact our appeal for rookies. Stone is a contract negotiations guy by trade, he probably lives for this.
