Reed just needs to slow down just a little bit and get his confidence in his shooting stroke back. He will be getting a lot of open looks, he just needs to knock them down at a high percentage. He just needs to be a solid player most of the time when he is out there. He can build on that as the season goes on.
Holding his own on defense without always gambling for a steal is one (strength like you said). Breaking down guys off the dribble without needing a screen is the one I'm watching out for. Then whenever they defend him like Jalen Green saw in the playoffs (and subsequently got traded for)....what does Reed do whenever a help defender shades over to him. Stone was pretty direct when it came to Reed in his interview. They need him to be better. FWIW Reed felt a little more direct in his interview as well. Less "rookie" like.
I'm a big believer in Reed. I believe he possesses two elite skills: shooting and basketball IQ. I'm counting on Reed showing why he was predicted to be the rookie of the year.
I'm betting he plays well in the first two games, then they take him out. If I recall, that's happened the last year or two with other guys who were on the big-team roster.
If Reed and Amen Breakout Offensively this year, we're going to be TOUGH to handle. We need those two core members at their best to get to where we want to go. Let's get it Reed!
I don't think Reed will ever become a great ISO player, maybe unless he develops a deadly step back 3. He will likely always use a screen. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Small players who are not super fast like Stockton and Nash used the screen very effectively breaking down the defense.
Prime Harden was probably the greatest iso player ever....And he still used a bunch of PNR.... Reed isn't that type of player...He will definitely rely heavily on pnr... Though he has shown that in certain situations he can score in isolation.
Reed is way more athletic than both Nash and Stockton. People really underestimate how athletic he is.
I disagree. At the beginning of Amen’s rookie season, not many fans were excited. They called him a small Giannis. They said he played in a fake OTE league. They doubted him. He had to prove his worth. I don’t know exactly when people started to accept him but I think it was JAN 24 when he was consistently defending, rebounding, and attacking the rim. Reed Sheppard had an underwhelming rookie year. He had a handful of games where he played well but was highly inconsistent when given the opportunity. Yet some fans still claim he was a very good player comparing him to hall of famers CP3 and Curry even before he played a regular season game and after witnessing his performance this year. Would they say the same of Amen if he played like Sheppard his rookie year? Or would they call him OTE trash? I disagree with the narrative that he hasn’t been given an opportunity to play. Coaches leave players on the bench for lack of performance. He Played the first game of season: 15.33 min 4pts FG%40 3pt% 0. He played first 5 games in OCT as Udoka chose him over Holliday. Also played more minutes than Holiday in NOV and DEC. He had mixed performances and closed out the season with a handful of notable performances. Caveat, He didn’t play well the last 2 games of the season shooting 27.8 FG% Avg 7 pts and 2 TO’s. He did avg 6 ast anc 1.5 stls. Doesn’t mean he can’t or wont get better just means his rookie year wasn’t a productive year for him. Here’s a comparison of Reed and Holliday who filled in that backup PG role when needed: Reed OCT: G: 5 Min: 8.6 Pts: 2.4 FG%: 38.5 3pt%: 33.3 Ast: 1.4 Stl 0.2 NOV: G: 15 Min: 13.0 Pts: 4.1 FG%: 36.4 3pt%: 36.1 Ast: 1.5 stl: 0.7 DEC: G: 9 Min: 11.9 Pts: 3.0 FG%: 23.1 3pt%: 15.5% Ast: 0.7 Stl 0.4 JAN: Sent to G League FEB: G: 10 Min: 11.8 Pts: 4.0 FG%: 25.5 3pt%: 25 Ast: 1.5 Stl 0.4 MAR: G: 4 Min 17.5 Pts: 9.3 FG% 48.4 3pt% 41.7 Ast 3.3 Stl: 1.5 Holliday OCT: G: 1 Min: 2.2 Pts: 0 FG%: 0 3pt%: 0 Ast: 1 Stl 0 NOV: G: 10 Min: 9.4 Pts: 4.2 FG%: 46.7 3pt%: 40.9 Ast: 1.3 Stl 0.1 DEC: G: 10 Min: 9.9 Pts: 4.0 FG%: 46.4 3pt%: 47.1 Ast: 1.1 Stl 0.4 JAN: G: 12 Min 14.2 Pts: 4.3 FG% 37.5 3pt% 34.5 FEB: G: 10 Min: 17.6 Pts: 6.8 FG%: 38.5 3pt%: 27.6 Ast: 0.7 Stl 0.7 MAR: G: 13 Min 13.3 Pts: 7.4 FG% 50 3pt% 49 Ast: 1.2 stl: 0.1
Going by the expectations last year...none of rookie Jalen, Sengun, Reed or Jabari would've played much on last years team. The only rookies that wouldve found time wouldve been Tari and Amen. That's it. If you want to give Reed a green light like Jalen had his first two years....I mean the results speak for themselves.
