Let Reed and Apli run some P-n-R and I think your opinion will change. He's doing a fine job getting the team into their sets and when playing with NBA talent his playmaking ability will shine. There's a big difference when passing say to Green instead of say Griffin. Cam and Reed seem to have good chemistry together when it comes to playmaking. I suspect the more talent around Reed the better Reed's playmaking will get. Posters are trying to pick his game apart and are comparing him to Fredette. They're 2 totally different players, other than both being white guys they've got very little in common. Why is it some can only compare a white guys game to another white guys game. I see a lot of Paul's game or Jamal Murray's game in Reed's game.
Reed Sheppard was "only" a 37% 3pt shooter in high school. Im trying to dig up the numbers on Jalen, but having no luck yet. I think too many people here are overlooking the aspect of going against NBA defense when it comes to shooting. It takes time for some guys to get acclimated. Summer League defense is nothing more than a glorified All Star game with guys who will be selling insurance in a few months.
Explains a lot. There was one middy against the lakers that was textbook Chris Paul. Defender on the back hip of Reed, so Reed lets him try and frantically recover to the front and then pulls a crossover into an open jumper. High IQ play.
What was I hoping for with 3rd pick? Dalton Knecht Devin Carter Kel'el Ware Zack Edey When all in this draft are more than likely backups.....what does it matter where you pick -see above - if I feel they can start?
...so after two summer league games, I'm still impressed with Reed but for those calling dynasties, let's seriously dial that back because while Reed's shooting will be real in the NBA on day 1, everything else is going to be A LOT harder for him. He's a smart kid, seems to work hard, and obviously was raised very much on that blue collar ethos of doing all the little things. He's going to be a rotational player FOR SURE, but I think he is still a year or two away from being a starting NBA point guard on a decent team(coincidentally, when Fred's contract ends)....but hey, we might have the first 3pt contest winner in Rockets history here starting THIS year so that's his All Star weekend ceiling for now. The handles need to get A LOT tighter for NBA play, and he has to work on his lateral movements because he seems flat footed on player's first steps who really shouldn't be blowing by him. All that said - I'm confident he will eventually get there. His handles seemed better than Amen's from summer league of last year (by the way - does anyone know why Amen wasn't on the SL roster?) and the decision making and passing accuracy were mostly there. His ceiling seems to rest almost entirely on whether he can be a full time PG and if he is able to mostly stay in front of players on the perimeter. If he improves his handles and is able to use his 3pt shooting to punish guys closing out hard to get lanes into the middle where he can either hit a middie or find open shooters when the defense collapses(VERY similar to CP3) - then yeah, he's potentially a future All Star...but first things first, we got work to do before we get there. I still think Jalen is a useful starting SG in the league(albeit not a max contract guy today) and someone we SHOULD try to retain if we can get him under a decent contract but the more I watch Reed's very clinical reads and solid passing, and the more I reflect on Amen and Sengun's elite passing, the more I think a guy like Cam Whitmore would be a better long term fit with those guys since he is such a smart cutter. That being said, I think we need to try to resign Jalen(again not as a max guy unless he blows up this year) and assuming Cam is reasonably healthy for the next few years, we just trade Jalen and keep Cam...and if Cam's knee problems start to linger, then we can have that conversation about how risky it would be to sign him. I'm just a little worried that Cam is Brandon Roy 2.0 - great player, but knee cartilage is super important and that's why Cam slipped in the draft in the first place....but if it all works out and he is a Jaylen Brown type of player with wonderful passers around him - WATCH OUT. btw, this is my "in all the Reed love, don't forget about Cam" Public Service Announcement
Yes, but he will also get much better screens from Adams and Alpi, and his teammates will draw a lot more attention away from him.
Yup - he had a couple in the Lakers game and one in particular in the Wizards game that was textbook CP3.
Maybe the parentheses threw you off. I was grouping Jabari with Reed ("to some extent"--because Reed had historic numbers in Kentucky and Jabari was just very good at Auburn). But both guys could shoot since high school.
Definitely going to help, but I dont foresee opposing coaches leaving Sheppard open to shoot 3's either. It will be a fun dynamic to watch unfold.
I couldn't find Jalen's HS numbers either. But his limited Ignite numbers weren't very good, very small sample size. He shot 3 for 10 in 8 games while scoring 30 ppg. One thing for sure, the 3pt shot wasn't his bread and butter scoring weapon. If he was good at it, it seems odd that he would not have shot more. My guess is that Jalen was never a great 3pt shooters like Reed and Jabari.
I don't know why you're bringing up Jimmer in a conversation where he's being compared to the best all-around PG of this generation, since a player can both be much worse than CP3 and still be much better than Jimmer. And what you're saying and what I'm also seeing in these two games is that there's a good chance he can be FVV level player. But FVV-level player and CP3-level player are still miles apart. And yes in the regular season he'll get to pass to Sengun. But in the regular season he's also never seeing a defender of Bronny James' caliber either. There are some strengths and weaknesses you can see independent of teammates and opposition.
He's always been a streaky rather than good shooter....that's why it's so disappointing that he's the EXACT same guy all of these years later. We can point to small sample hot streaks, but overall he's terrible.
Reed brings a lot more to the team. He has such fast hands and can create turnovers with his steals and strip blocks, which is awesome. That, and he has such a quick release and picture perfect shot. He will definitely be an asset in his ability to catch and shoot at high percentages from behind the arc if fed the ball when wide open. Those type skills are something he's great at. I think he will bring out the best in teammates with his court vision, BBIQ, maturity, and his ability to get the ball to the open man. He's not a selfish player at all. He's a real team oriented player who doesn't just try to score as many points as he can, no matter how bad he's shooting.
Thats the thing with scorers they have a tendency to fluctuate as shooters. Its why I brought up Jalens Summer League 3 pt numbers because they were eye popping and somewhat anomalous since "Great 3pt shooter" was never part of his bio as someone that scouted him heavy before the 21 draft. Jalen still needs to learn how to get himself going before bombing away. Drives and free throws. Some easy jumpers. When he does that he's good to go. When he comes out and bombs a 27 foot 3 on the first possession of a game it usually doesnt bode well.
We shall see. Going coo coo for cocoa puffs during the Summer League tends to be an exercise in humility for many. We will know how Reed Sheppard handles NBA defense and offense from starting caliber lead guards soon enough. I am in his corner and if he can translate he offers this team traits that are sorely lacking. Do I see NBA superstar/franchise player type stuff? Not necessarily, but thats ok too.
I've found overall shooting percentages from his youth years but not 3pt percentages. "76% FT% over the adidas Gauntlet in 2018. Shot 5.7 free throws per game at 75.3% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2019 … Effective jab step. Gets off his shot with just a little bit of space … Scoring averages: 9.8 ppg 54.8% FG% U16 Americas Championship 2016, 15.7 ppg 51.3% FG% U17 World Cup 2018, 10.1 ppg U19 World Cup 2019, 18.7 ppg adidas Gauntlet 2018, 18.2 ppg 50% FG% Nike EYBL 2019 … Has shooting range out to the 3PT line and when his outside shot is falling, there’s not much the defense can do to stop him … " Struggling to find any of his high school shooting numbers though.
It's amazing how you much you know about basketball for a lady. Would you like to go for a Indian dish this evening?
