Reed Sheppard report card

I think having a couple defensive lapses a game can cause people to overstate a player's defensive deficiencies. Luka is a prime example of this - if you look at most metrics, he's actually not a bad defender. However, there are at least a couple times a game that he seemingly gets blown by on defense, and if you string together clips of when this happens, he looks like the worst defender in history. The same is true of Sheppard - yes, there were a couple instances of him getting dominated on defense, but that doesn't mean, overall, he had a bad defensive game.

Also, stocks go a long way in making up for defensive limitations. The current steals leader in the NBA is averaging 2 steals a game. In games he's started this season, Sheppard is averaging 2.3 steals.

 

Some games he plays good defense with a few slip ups. Other games he is targeted relentlessly and plays miserable on that side of the court. The right answer is he is getting progressively better at defense with a lot of the ups and downs of a young player in the NBA. He does have a defensive ceiling of “average” in my opinion, because of his physical limitations. Average will be fine if he is a 40% 3 point shooter.

 

He is going through the ups and downs he should have been allowed to go through last season.

 

I agree, although I don’t think it is a one year correction period. Part of his improvement will have to come from adding muscle which will take several years as it has for Jabari. He is a smart player so I think he will continue to get better over the next several seasons if given the minutes. There is a distinct possibility that he will be relegated to spot duty again next year when Ime’s love affair is re-kindled.

 

Once Reed gets consistent, I can easily see him being a 20+ point, 10+ assist, with good stocks for a guard, while knocking down 40+% from three. I am worried getting FVV back will set Reed back next season if Ime is still Ime.

 

Reed Sheppard is 7th in the NBA in steals despite only playing 1800 minutes. Amen is 9th.

 

TWIS.

Spoiler

That's What Ime Said

 

Perhaps a poor choice of words! Ha!

 

Reed Sheppard is going to be fine defensively.

He is on the shorter side and he isn't long - and that, along with pedestrian foot speed will keep him from ever being a top tier defender.

However, he has exceptional (special) hands and hand quickness that bails him out often when his man gets around him. He also has excellent hangtime and vertical extension that gives him time to adjust in the air and still alter the shooters shot.

He also is excellent at switching over and getting steals, and a high percentage of his steals lead to easy buckets for the Rockets.

He is getting better already at anticipation and coming around screens and has improved his angle.

Based on his body type, I expect his lower body to get stronger and that will help some as well.

Long term my only real concern with him is that he must play with high effort defensively and there are a handful of match ups that I am concerned about him in isolation. However, as is often the case with high effort guards, they are fine as long as the post defense is strong and the other players on the defensive side are somewhat talented and communicate.

FWIW the defensive advanced numbers back this up as well.

 

Stone needs to figure out how to pry Kel'el Ware away from Miami this offseason ....

That dude is a defensive backstop that can cover for Reed and can shoot from downtown so Amen can camp in the paint.


Sengun is a bad pairing with both Amen and Reed .... can't have 2 non shooters, can't have a bad defender at the 5 if Reed is going to struggle.

 

Agreed. The key to unlocking this team, in the present and future, is to get a legit rim protector who can switch a little on the perimeter and is a decent paint finisher. Bonus if they have a little range. Did the 90’s Rockets care about the guards getting blown by? No, it was a strategy to funnel them into Dream.

 

We were trying to win every game we could last yr so its understandable why Ime didn't play him much

 

Miami didn’t even want to add him in the Durant deal. Riley has his untouchables on there and he’s probably one.

 

Ime is just a poor coach. He would yank Reed when he made ANY mistake yet let others play no matter how many mistakes they were making. It would happen early in games and even in games when we had a lead. I could understand pulling him in the last 5 minutes but yanking him early in games and even when we had leads made ZERO sense. It had Reed playing timidly playing trying not to make a mistake rather than just giving it his all. Ime should of let him play through mistakes MUCH more often and coached him up in the film room.

 

Part of that is he's still on a rookie scale deal thru 2027-28.

Cost controlled depth like that is tough to come by - he'll shake loose that last season when his cost goes way up and they are already paying Bam $53m+ at that position.


If he were on my team he'd be pretty much untouchable.

 

Yea tough love on him. Seems to be working, he's developing well/fast.

 

Ime has RDS

Reed derangement syndrome