Reed played a grand total of.....10 minutes in game 2. Ime's inconsistencies are the thing that is holding Reed back. With a head coach that truly believes in him, Sheppard's potential would be truly unlocked.
There is no question that Banchero has to do somethings better, be that in the regular season or playoffs. I bring up his post season success more to show the match up problem he can be, which is more obvious in the playoffs than the regular season. I don't know what the final outcome will be for Banchero, I was not a big fan of him entering the draft or in college -- but I do think that if he is put in the right situation and utilized properly, that he can be a pretty nasty player. I wouldn't really compare his playoff performance to Jalen Green though. The lack of free throws is a concern I have too. He can overcome a lot of that by really limiting turnovers and shot selection. I also think if the Rockets played in the open court, that would help as well. There is some precedence for it -- Steve Nash did not go to the line very often for example. There are others too, but it does limit your ability to score a lot. So that puts pressure on the shot, turnovers etc. Guys like Nash and Price were very good -- and were in the 3-4 attempts a game range, and I think that is where Reed needs to get. He seems to be a guy that plays a lot better with confidence, and I think he can get at least in that 3-4 a game if he has a lot of control of the offense. He has to tighten up a lot of things over the next couple of years, but I think most of those are doable or there is optimism that it will happen. He really needs to get to the 50/40/90 shooting model to help be more efficient.
He is also basically a rookie this year. With more experience and more respect from the refs, we may see him getting more calls and going to the line more. I honestly think it's super important he find a way to get to the line - because his limitations need to be offset by his offensive productivity and free throws are something you can rely on even when the three ball isn't falling.
I do think he has great court vision and gets the team in the flow. And last night proved that he didn't scare of big moments - took over the game after that Lebum shove. I'm impressed
We were a clear rebuilding team with Jalen Green - this is now a team with playoff aspirations that Reed is playing on. You don't get a lot of minutes/opportunities just because you are high draft pick. The answer is ALWAYS you pull a trade when you think you can get more value in return. If someone wants to offer a decent return for Reed, let them....but generally I agree that with an aging injury prone PG and no other PG on the roster - we need to try to develop Reed until a better option comes around. That's our only option for us at the moment unless an opportunity pops up from the list below: - we have an opportunity to trade Reed for an upgrade to our PG situation(unlikely) or - we have an opportunity to trade Sengun to get an upgrade at the PG(more likely) or - we have an opportunity to turn some other player on our roster into another PG (possible) - we have an opportunity to sign a starting level PG (unlikely without shedding salary)
The sequence of LeBra shoving Reed and his next actions are a seminal moment in this young man's career. I'm not a fan of organized religion, but the story of David and Goliath has a certain appeal for this analogy. LeBra is the NBA's Goliath for the last few decades. Perhaps Reed can be our David and take down the giant. Reed's jumper, steal and dunk showed us he has the internal fortitude to rise when the team needed a spark. He literally seized the momentum from the Lakers in LA and turned the game back in our favor. Well done Reed!
You're not saying anything i haven't heard before. Same cliche, tired talking points. Amen is offensively very limited. He's highly dependent on others to fill up the stat sheet. Someone has to read his cuts or get him the ball three feet from the basket. If defenders can stay in front of him, his efficiency tanks. He still has poor handles. He's a great defender and a freak athlete but his fundamentals are lacking. Reed could be our Ginobili. If i had to keep only one i'd keep Reed. I don't hate Amen, but i think we'd be a better team with someone like Jaden McDaniels. Good player but nowhere near irreplacable.
He was okay imo. Kept eating up the shot clock in the first half because he isn't a natural pg. He just doesn't know what to do against a set defense. Almost never runs pnr with Sengun and Sengun got frustrated more than once. The Sengun-Amen two-man game is very one-directional. His court vision shows up in spurts when the pace is high.
Reed stepped up big time at the end of the game and showed he has the mental chops to play in this league, but his warts were on full display most of the game. Amen lost his aggression on offense this game. Both need to step up next game and game 7 if we get there. The refs called a pretty fair game (by Laker standards). They won’t in game 7, so I have little hope for that game. Amen has to force the ball in the paint and Sheppard has to hit his 3 pointers. As far as trading Reed, it is like everyone else on the team, it is dictated by return. Reed needs several more years of body building to have a shot at being a starting NBA point guard. It is worth being patient with him, because even if he is never a star he can be an offensive spark off the bench. Even if he balls out the next couple of games, his trade value hasn’t caught up to his value for this team that needs elite shooting. I think the last 2 games has cemented Ime and Stone for next year and they will run it back and defer the development of Reed and Amen for another year for another playoff flame-out. The one move we might make is to unload KD. I don’t think it will bring back much, but I think KD may force it. Ime, Stone, and their love for FVV is holding this young core back.
I bring up TS% because having a guy average 27 ppg inefficiently in the playoffs hurts more in the playoffs when it is tougher for the role players to score efficiently. Orlando is good because they play tough defense. With Banchero, Orlando is worse than the Rockets offensively. I see Paolo had a great game. Overall, Paolo has been a disaster more often than not in the playoffs. On a guy that has the ball all the time, that is a killer. Going for Paolo is hoping for a lot of shooting improvement. Paolo has provided a lot more positive value than Green, so looking through the lens, they aren't comparable. This is the lens Paolo apologists always look through. Comparing the sheer volume of negative plays on high usage and low efficiency, there aren't many comparable players. I'd rather have an inefficient low usage player than a high usage inefficient player as basketball is a zero-sum game. Much easier for the other 4 guys to prop up a low efficient low usage player. Paolo is great at basketball. His problem is that there are quite a few guys that are engines that are so much better. Maybe it works against a team that can't score in the playoffs, but as soon as Orlando comes across an efficient team, they are toast. Reed is good with long passes, but he's not a finisher in transition. If you are referring to an open court in the sense of spacing in the half court, I agree. Reed would do very well in the half-court with guys with high BB IQ, who can shoot, and can cover for his defense. When he gets a good screen and can get around it, things just look good for him. It is just so hard for the Rockets to create spacing with a center and Amen, but at the same time, Amen is so good it is hard for the Rockets to function without him. I could end up incredibly wrong about Paolo.
Idk. I’d see what he could net you. I’m not dying to trade him or anything but just something about him. I’m in the boat of Amen of Sengun if it comes to it
Reed is on a Rookie contract. Trading him now means you don't get equal value in return. Dumb. Let's talk in 2 years.
