I want Edey too but not at #3. I'd take Sheppard because we really need a reliable 3pt shooter. I'll take the points and the spacing - not to mention the BB IQ. Amen, Sengun and Sheppard (FVV isn't bad either) would be fun to watch. Now if they want to trade a future 1st (though it would be way out there) for someone who does pick Edey because they would rather have a redo in another draft (and better trade asset), then I'd be down with that. We could use his size when we have big C matchups (Adams has little left and Jock isn't enough) You'd have to cut some vet scrub vets to make room for Sheppard and Edey. I'd be down with that too but I don't think Ime is. He might add 1 more project but adding 2 more to this lineup would give him ulcers. Me though...I've love to add those 2.
Neither Steph nor Trae iso much. Steph averages about 1.5 iso's per game for his career and he's ok at it, not amazing. For instance, last year podz was the best iso guard on gsw, steph was behind him by a bit and 700 year old cp3 was third on their team not much behind Steph. GSW under Kerr dont iso much. Trae iso's more than Steph at about 3 per game but hes awful at it. He gets basically 0 assist from his isolations and almost always shoots and barely makes it. Really based on the stats it seems like he's isoing late in the shot clock as a last resort. But if you watch Trae play he gets a bunch of onball screens and runs a bunch of pnr with his bigs.
Here's some of the reports I've seen.... Sheppard is more than just a gunner. He has good court vision and actively looks to set up teammates. That is extremely apparent in transition, where he might be the best outlet passer in all of college hoops. He constantly has his eyes down the floor and he can fire the ball over the top of defenses with pinpoint accuracy. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba...ting-report-kentucky/75979a69afb3b1cc0be1589c Sheppard's passing and decision-making may persuade teams to use him at point guard. He doesn't manipulate off the dribble like Chris Paul or Trae Young, but reads the game and sees the floor extremely well. Without any personal agenda or predetermining of shots, Sheppard can be capable of facilitating offense and running sets. https://syndication.bleacherreport....dictions-for-2024-nba-draft-prospect.amp.html Displays point guard skills with vision for crosscourt passes and ability to slow down the game. Effective connective player in transition, capable of pushing the ball and facilitating for teammates https://hoopshype.com/lists/reed-sheppard-nba-draft-scouting-report-and-intel/
Agree! We all know he's put up some of the highest shooting percentages in decades, is an excellent passer, and has a high BBIQ. He's not a selfish player, and can fire a pass across court with great vision and accuracy. He also has some promising defensive skills on top of that, and is a hustler with a great eye for the ball with quick hands. Just a few positives about his defense... Sheppard blocked more than 20 shots as a freshman, which is a reflection of his unteachable anticipation. His steal rate is off the charts as well. His ability to make reads and quick reactions should continue to work well when applying pressure on opposing ball-handlers. His IQ should bode well for his potential to keep building team-defense awareness. https://syndication.bleacherreport....dictions-for-2024-nba-draft-prospect.amp.html Is a very heady defender who is pesky on the ball and can pick the pocket of the ball-handler. Uses positioning really well, has great footwork on defense and has enough strength to hold his own against bigger guards and wings. https://nbadraftroom.com/reed-sheppard/ Does possess A+ anticipation of where the ball is going. He has outrageously good hands, as evidenced by his 2.5 steals per game. Sheppard is an incredibly heady player on both ends of the court who should max out his potential. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba...ting-report-kentucky/75979a69afb3b1cc0be1589c Active defensively with good anticipation, averaging 2.6 steals and nearly one block per game. Textbook closeouts on shooters and disruptive at the point-of-attack, with a very good motor https://hoopshype.com/lists/reed-sheppard-nba-draft-scouting-report-and-intel/ As for overall skills, maturity, BBIQ, and drive, the kid's talent is hard to ignore. I'd love to add him to our team. This guy says it best.... This kid is just really freaking good at basketball. After all, no other freshman guard in the Sports Reference database has averaged at least 10.0 points per game with a Defensive BPM of 4.0 or higher while also shooting at least 45.0% from three and having an effective field goal percentage of 65.0% or higher. https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/274845/NBA-Draft-Report-Reed-Sheppard-Of-Kentucky
How do you think he led Kentucky in assists? Scouts are equally susceptible to falling into the can’t draft small white guy high narrative. The fact that he is consensus top 5-10 is a testament to how good he obviously is, despite that narrative. No one is mocking him top 5 to be a 6’3 sg, they all think he can play pg.
I guess I just don't think picking a 4th center with the #3 pick is viable. Also from what I've seen, I don't think Clingan will have too much going on by way of offense. Clingan can't be played alongside Sengun and I don't see Clingan as an upgrade.... so where's his role?
I answered everything you elaborated with your reply with my original comment. I was clearly comparing Sengun at the age he was drafted and Sheppard at the age he will be drafted. I also very clearly stated the big difference was Sengun was able to play in the pros while Sheppard was having to play at HS. I’m not saying Sheppard is as good as Sengun or anything but there a similarity to their potential in that they were both highly skilled at very young ages and both have incredible basketball iq…
Comparing competition level is not that straightforward. Yes Euroleague is way better than college on average. The Turkish league is not Euroleague however, and the SEC is waaay better than D1 as a whole. Particularly the last couple years - with Covid redshirts and transfer rules, the best college teams are no longer just a class of 19 and 20 year olds recruited out of high school, they are filled with the best 22-24 year olds who transferred their way up the ladder based on performance. IMO top D1 teams would lose to the 2-3 Euroleague and Eurocup teams at the top of the Turkish league, but would mostly beat the rest of the league.
In a podcast 5 months ago where Sam Vecenie did Q&A for the draft prospects, he cited three players who outperformed their draft eval as a case for Reed Sheppard: Tyrese Halliburton Jalen Brunson Jalen Williams He mentioned three aspects of their games that contributed to this outcome: Elite level processing ability Elite level skill Elite level shooting Link: 23 minute mark
It's Reed or Topic for me. Although Topic isn't a great fit he's the BPA. Riscacher looks nice but nothing special that doesn't already exist, we could try to trade for GG Jackson for example.
I like Riscacher and he "might" be my 2nd choice... but only because everthing else seems to flawed too. I actually agree with these guys.... he's probably closer to 7-10 where he should be picked.... but im valuing fit over bpa for this draft and this rockets team
Add Reed Sheppard to this team. We had a 41-41 record last season. Even without any other changes: Natural improvement of Alpi, Amen (who both also missed a bunch of games last year) and our other young guys: + 3 wins Adding Tari back to the team (he missed almost the entire season): + 3 wins Adding Steven Adams, if he stays healthy: + 2 wins Adding Reed Sheppard's shooting: + 2 wins 51-31 - I am calling it now. That's the floor. Add to that one year of having had proper coaching (vs. crap coaching for two years prior). There could be more upgrades, particularly if we could trade a certain high volume guy for someone more efficient - or if the high volume guy becomes more efficient, which may or may not be less likely - but I won't go into that now. An effect that I don't think has been talked about is what Sheppard's presence could do in terms of forcing Jalen and Cam to be more efficient and play smarter. They keep chucking/don't pass/don't play the right way? Minutes go to Sheppard.
Sadly there are people who think that way. You know the types. Still waiting for that "athletic black guy" to even reach mid tier proficiency after 3 long years on this team. Oh, but blame Silas. Seriously, you think Sheppard could drop that low in proficiency starting 2 years in the NBA with Silas and a year with Ime? I mean, how great do you think Kentucky coaches are?
As for Reed, you can literally watch every one of his assists here. Look, I get the pushback. He's definitively NOT doing crazy hesi's, blowing by people, etc. I'd LOVE if he could either do that, OR was 4 inches taller. 4-6 inches taller he's Luka Not the height but much faster/twitchier he feels more "Steph-esque". He has neither and INDEED, that is why his downside seems limited. But that's fine, it is what it is. If we had a fully offensive team with no real defensive wing grit, I'd be more on board with a Ron Holland or Stephon Castle. But we have Amen, Tari, DB, Tate. Neither of those guys will have close to Amen's ceiling, and maybe not even Tari. So what's the point? In the meantime, Reed's ceiling is still very high. FVV-esque at minimum. He reminds me a lot of Mike Conley, too. Just f'ing SOLID. Heck, he has much better efficiency and advanced stats then college Mike Conley. Bear in mind, Mike Conley is NOT white. But I can still make the comparison lol. Heck, Reed's stats and game have a very similar feel to even CP3 in college. Indeed, CP3 was clearly more of the floor general. CP3 freshman year at Wake Forest per40s (apparently per possession isnt available from back then): 17.7 points, 3.9 boards, 7 assists, 3.2 steals, 0.5 block, 3.2 turnovers, 64.5% ts%,19.6% usage Reed freshman year at UK per40s: 17.2 points, 5.7 boards, 6.2 assists, 3.4 steals, 1.0 block, 2.8 turnovers, 69.9% ts%, 18.3% usage Reed is taller, equally (more?) athletic. Reed did NOT have the "keys to the car" so to speak and still did matching numbers effectively. It's obviously not as easy as stats = stats. Again CP3 has a unnaturally ingrained ability to "run" an offense. But I truly think some hybrid of a CP3 style and a Steph/Trae style is where Reed can be maximized. But he will DEFINITELY need to work to get there. It won't be day one. He will need to learn the tricks of the trade since he doesn't have blow-by speed.
I agree to a certain extent, but I also think we're talking something like a 1% outcome. Is it possible he becomes Steve Nash 2.0? Sure. Is it at all likely? No. Edit: Yeah, FVV, Conley, Kyle Lowry--that archetype seems to fit for Reed, though I think he will have to show growth as a point guard to become that good. He isn't there yet. He is young though.
I'm not sure why not. His %% beat those of Nash when he was young. His %% are very unique, some of the best 3-point shooting in a long time. What's the basis for coming up with 1 %? Is past performance a surefire predictor of future performance? No. But we are looking at a kid who shot better from beyond the 3-point line in college than almost anyone the last decade or so. On top of that, he has an insane steal and block rate and the highest vertical in the combine. Why exactly do you conclude it is not likely? What makes it so unlikely? Two questions: 1) Do you see anyone with indications that he is MORE likely to become Steve Nash 2.0? 2) What do you think the percentage likelihood was that freshman-in-college Steve Nash would become Hall of Famer Steve Nash? Was it higher than that of Reed Sheppard today?
The 1% number is what I would apply to just about anybody if you're making a comparison to one of the top 30 or 40 players of all time, top 5 all time at his position, before I've seen that guy play a single NBA minute. The bust rate is just so high on the draft, and getting a true superstar is just so incredibly rare. The only time I would make an exception is if somebody is clearly a phenom, one of those generational guys that gets insane hype like LeBron or Wemby.
Yes, but if you say you apply it anyone equally, you might as well draft a random dude, which is of course not what anyone does. Sheppard has historically good 3-point shooting stats from his one year in college, an insane steal and block rate and the highest vertical in his draft class. The only "negatives" are that he is not 6'6+ and his quickness/speed is not at the TOP of his draft class (but not bad either). Let's not overthink this and mess it up. Draft the guy.
Another thing to consider is that he will have the best tutor to take him under his wings he can imagine, in FVV. Maybe after the current max contract, we could somehow convince FVV to stay with a longer, more reasonably-priced extension (I don't think he will get a max from anyone else), and then Reed could gradually take over from FVV eventually.
