[Jackson Gatlin & Dr. Madison Moore] Reed can learn from JD Davison

I enjoy Locked On Rockets. I listen to it pretty much daily. He's good at what he does. And it's not often I can even listen to a podcast where there isn't a co-host. I still listen when Jackson is solo.

 

Off the dribble, Sheppard looks uncertain about when he wants to shoot and when to pass. He seems like he is preoccupied with pass first and sometimes he forces a pass that isn’t there and it results in a turnover. Other times, when the pass is taken away, he resorts to a shot that is hurried or discombobulated.

He has looked his best when he plays more decisively. I would like to see him simplify things a bit and live in shoot mode for a while. I suspect that’s why Ime has him off the ball a lot. In that scenario, he should catch and shoot, or dribble drive and shoot. Get his shot going and consistent, if he has that in him.

But hell, sometimes in catch and shoot, he looks hurried. It feels like the game is still moving too fast for him, and only minutes will help that.

I thought Sheppard showed well on defense against Utah. I am far less concerned on that end because I think his floor is pretty decent defensively, and also because offense is where we need him to play well much more.

 

I will say, it does appear that opposing teams respect Reed's shot through these pre-season games. That has helped create some space for our other playmakers.

As Nook said, he just needs to make his shots when he gets them. If he's an efficient scorer regardless of volume, he'll be useful as a spacer who doesn't require a ton of usage to be productive. The turnovers in these first couple of games look more like miscommunications that will get ironed out. His handle looks improved over last year to me (though it still has plenty of room for improvement).