Yeah I cannot stand Steph with his little smug face and that stupid mouthpiece. However it’s insane at this point to deny his freakish ability to be a sniper at everything he does. It’s not even just basketball. Go watch his golf game. Dude might easily make the senior pga when he’s done with the NBA. He’s just is on another planet with his ability to target and make shots. Greatest shooter of all time most likely. I am so glad to be wrong about Reed it looks like (I still think he’s super small for the nba) but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s see him make shots in the postseason at the highest level before we start getting all hyperbolic. He still needs to get better at keeping guys in front of him. While he is getting good deflections and has good hands, he still is kind of a turnstile. There’s a reason why he’s hunted by every team. I’m sure Ime is on his butt about it so I have to hope with playing time given that Ime thinks he’s going to improve over the season.
They have to stop having Adams and the Centers cover for the guards, I am kidding. Lol weird looking, Sengün is moving like rubber, Mr. Elasticity, Adams is like Donkey Kong...... Reed is a hobbit throwing daggers.....what am I missing, Amen is Nightcrawler. Dhalsim KD.
If Reed improves his passing next summer, this team will explode. With so many smart players, no one can stop him.
The most underrated part of Reed's game is his athleticism. He is an above average to great athlete. Its how he's able block the shots he does and accelerate the way he does. I dont think he gets to this level with average athleticism.
I agree that it isn't entirely his vertical - that is just one tool in his tool box. His hangtime, strong and quick hands, and his ability to cut quickly all help him make up for difficulty reacting to a quick first step by guys he is defending. Sheppard's defense is complicated. It is very match up specific. There are still certain players that he struggles against, but not as many as his critics claim. This is backed up by Udoka, who unprovoked said that Sheppard has greatly improved on the defensive side of the ball. He still struggles against offensive players with an explosive first step, but he has cut that down with having his feet more active and improved reads defensively. Also, when someone does get by him, he is very good at cutting and getting back to his man. Couple that with a lot of steals and blocks, and success in transition - and his overall defense is better than many expect, and that is reflected in some advanced defensive measures. He also has gotten stronger and will continue to improve his core strength. Defensively, he can look at someone like John Stockton as a model or Chris Paul. While neither of them had a great first step - both became very good defenders by utilizing they hands, intelligence, ability to cut - etc. He is never going to be a Steph Castle or Amen Thompson - but he doesn't need to be.
Hunting Reed was very effective in the 1st two games of the season. Reed still isn't great at the POA, but Reed getting hunted has not been a problem often lately. Maybe it will be in the playoffs. Without teams taking advantage of Reed often at the POA, his disruptive defensive value has been playing up lately.
Let’s not pretend like Reed isn’t hunting on defense as well. You’re holding onto the ball too long? He’s taking that one. I love the spin move to rip the ball away!! Sloppy handles? Poke it away. It’s almost like you’ve got to account for your defender and watch out for wherever Reed is. Folks, this is Reed exploiting the most basic of basketball skills. He’s done it to some great ball handlers already.
Stockton is hard to model after because basketball in his era was so drastically different. ISOs were reserved more for post players so he wasn't going to be hunted very much regardless of his actual ability to guard the perimeter. For instance, Steve Kerr was similarly sized and but wasn't nearly as good a defender as Stockton but teams still didn't hunt him for ISO possessions very much. Personally, I thought Chris Paul had a great first step and was an elite point of attack defender but I get your point. Someone like Robert Covington had excellent steal and block rates but struggled to keep quicker players in front of him. Reed was having similar issues early in the season. The model is clearly FVV in my opinion. He's a great defender in the modern era despite his size and he's right there on the bench to mentor Reed. If Reed could be like FVV defensively I'd be extremely happy.
I will give Reed credit, even just over the course of the past few games he has noticeably improved his intensity on defense and hasn't been ball watching as much, which in and of itself helps him stay in front more often. But he is always going to be a short player with short arms, so some matchups are always going to be rough for him.
