Reed

[NerlensCat]

Reed is a player that has to be exceptional on offense and making heady defensive plays because he is not a good on-ball defender. Right now, he can’t throw it into the ocean. If he can’t make shots, he won’t last.

As someone said in an earlier post, he would have been better off to go to a team willing to play him more and let him play through it. Houston has a lot of talent. I wouldn’t mind seeing him get traded to a more desperate team.

 

[ukcatz12]

Let's face it, at this point, he's a bust. The third pick in the NBA draft is averaging 3 points/game and only getting 12 minutes/game.

Sure hope he turns it around. One of my favorite Cats.

Definitely not a bust yet. He was the 3rd pick in one of the weakest drafts of the last 20 years. A lot of guys from this draft will take a bit of time to get going, especially a guy who plays like Sheppard does. He needs to find his game in a league where everyone's ten times more athletic than the guys he was playing against last year.

 

[kywildcats8]

Some players take longer to hit their stride. A good example is Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold. I know it’s a different sport but he was a highly drafted QB out of college. This is his 7th year in the NFL and he’s on his 4th team. He’s having a career year and will be a highly sought after free agent after this season.

Vikings know Sam Darnold will be a 'sought-after type of guy' in free agency

Darnold is in a great spot right now- the Vikings HC, IMO is a big reason why he is having a career year - hopefully Reed can find the right team/coach to help him shine

 

[catsfanbgky]

I compare him to a guy like Tyrese Maxey. Maxey has developed into an all star but it wasn’t instant. Shep should be OK. He is skilled, athletic and knows how to play the game.

Maxey's rookie year - 15 mpg - 8 points / 2 rpg / 2 assist per game
2nd year - 35 mpg - 17.5 ppg / 3.2 rpg. / 4.3 apg.

Reed's rookie year - 12 mpg. - 3.6 ppg / 1.4 rpg / 1.3 apg. His biggest issue is the 38% 2FG and and 28% 3FG shooting. He simply has not shot the ball well at all, if he was shooting it better, he MIGHT get more minutes.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Wasn't part of the reason he went because it was a historically weak draft so that helped him get picked 3rd? I have a feeling he will end up being a great player in the NBA but I think we all figured it would take some time to get there.

Staying a UK another year might not have made any difference or he might have gotten injured and never played the same. We can all agree that it is reasonable not to risk it.

This. Hes really a solid first round pick in any other draft. He will never be a star really because that isn't his skill set, but he can be a very important piece on the right team

 

[catsfanbgky]

Also the draft has not been THAT bad. Definitely not any All Star #'s, but a few guys have played above expectation.Picks before and right around Reed :

#1 Zaccharie Risacher - Atlanta - 10.7 ppg / 3.3 rpg / 1.2 apg in 23 mpg
#2 Alexandre Sarr - Washington - 11.4 ppg / 6.2 rpg / 2.1 apg in 27 mpg
#4 Stephon Castle - San Antonio - 11.4 ppg / 2.6 rpg / 3.8 apg in 26 mpg
#5 Ron Holland - Detroit - 6.2 ppg / 3.0 rpg / 1 apg in 16 mpg.

All of these guys have been nice picks.
Jared McClain at 16th has been a steal. 15.3 ppg / 2.4 rpg / 2.6 apg.
Yves Messi - 21st - New Orleans - 9.4 ppg / 8.6 rpg / 1.3 apg
Jakobe Walter - 19th Toronto - 9 ppg / 3 rpg / 1.6 apg
Tristan De Silva - 18th - Orlando - 8.7 ppg / 3.6 rpg / 1.5 apg

 

[ukfan1622]

Calling someone a “bust” only a couple months into his rookie season is absurd.

I know knee-jerk overreactions is what we do on message boards, but you might wanna ease up on that one. His career has barely even begun yet.

Unless I'm mistaken Kobe scored below 10 ppg his rookie year. 19 year old people have a tough learning curve in the NBA.

 

[Jamal Mercer]

Fairly predictable. Good outside shot. Still needed improvement handling the ball.

His on ball defense was always awful. But he had great instincts you can’t teach.

Most years he’s probably not drafted that high but no way you pass up being a lottery pick.

 

[ukcatz12]

Calling someone a “bust” only a couple months into his rookie season is absurd.

I know knee-jerk overreactions is what we do on message boards, but you might wanna ease up on that one. His career has barely even begun yet.

This board was calling Wemby a bust after his first preseason game

 

[NerlensCat]

This board was calling Wemby a bust after his first preseason game

The board wasn’t. However, there were idiots ON the board were. Big distinction!

 

[sk73]

He way over performed last season. He was underrated going into the year and vastly overrated when the season ended. The truth is he was motivated to play for his homeschool. That brought out the best in him. Now he’s a 19 year old kid playing for Houston? If he had gone to va or another school other than uk he would have been a 3 year player.

Reed, at 20 1/2 is older than Dillingham who turns 20 in a week and, a full year older than Wagner. I think Reed will make a better showing than he has thus far but I do not expect him to ever be an NBA starter. Best Luck to them all.

 

[Zissou87]

He had the chance to be a king. He is rich that’s for sure. And nobody could ever blame someone for making that decision.

The kid was born to play for Kentucky. I miss him like all UK fans.

What would make him a "king"?

 

[ukfan1622]

What would make him a "king"?

If he'd stayed all four years he'd have been so popular he could have been an even more successful salesman than his dad. And he gave that up for a crappy $40,000,000. I can't figure it out...

 

[ukcatz12]

The board wasn’t. However, there were idiots ON the board were. Big distinction!

Everyone on this board is an idiot, me included.

 

[Wildcats1st]

But he was not the 3rd pick in a normal draft. Instead, last year’s draft pool was considered to be one of the weakest ever. Especially at the top end, there simply were no prospects in last year’s draft of the caliber that we normally associate with the top three picks.

Reed would not have been the 3rd pick nearly any other year. So I don’t think it fair to expect him to perform the same as did the 3rd picks in stronger drafts.

That’s basically what I said. He is the equivalent talent wise of a late lottery pick but the draft was light.

 

[kywildcatsfannumber1]

Let's face it, at this point, he's a bust. The third pick in the NBA draft is averaging 3 points/game and only getting 12 minutes/game.

Sure hope he turns it around. One of my favorite Cats.

He isn't a bust 2 months into his career. Coming off the bench to guards like Jalen Green and Fred Vanvleet have limited his opportunities to get regular playing time. Shares the backcourt with the #4 pick of 2023, Amen Thompson as a reserve too. Houston is having a good year at 21-9.

 

[bradyjames]

What would make him a "king"?

The opposite of one year at UK with no SEC tournament title and first round loss to Oakland.

 

[CAT Scratch FVR]

Give him time but he will never be more than a JJ Redick type. I was never impressed with his defense, was easy to get by him. Maybe with years and improved strength that will improve. It has to if he is to stay in the league.

 

[aikenite4uk]

I know one thing, Reed is missing a ton of shots he made last year at Kentucky. Just hasn't got in his comfort zone yet.

 

[Zissou87]

The opposite of one year at UK with no SEC tournament title and first round loss to Oakland.

So in four years, if he never won any SEC title (peak SEC now) or never got past the first round (the current coach has never), would he be a "king" to you?

His stock was only going to go down. People love to say "not everything is about money", but never realize that "not everything is about UK basketball". Sometimes you have to take off the blue-tinted glasses.

 

[Stretch98]

In hindsight, he got drafted to a bad situation for his personal playing time. The Rockets are quite good now. Who would have ever thought they would be second place in the West? Rookies rarely get much playing time on that kind of team unless they are elite.

They are also hanging their hats on the defensive end, no surprise given their coach is Ime Udoka. And Reed Sheppard wasn't exactly particularly notable on the defensive end outside of steals.

On a good team that features Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks all averaging at least 31.6 minutes a game and rarely missing a game, there's not exactly many minutes to go around at the guard spots for a plane who is weak defensively.

I thought I was a decent judge of basketball talent until VanFleet came along. So much for the look test! Coming out of college, He reminded me more of a middle aged cab driver than an NBA all-star.

 

[bradyjames]

So in four years, if he never won any SEC title (peak SEC now) or never got past the first round (the current coach has never), would he be a "king" to you?

His stock was only going to go down. People love to say "not everything is about money", but never realize that "not everything is about UK basketball". Sometimes you have to take off the blue-tinted glasses.

No reason to argue over something that wasn’t said.

He isn’t the king of Kentucky. He is rich though. I believe had he stayed he would be a legend. Of course, I could be wrong.

 

[dckala2]

Might be on a similar path minutes wise as Cason Wallace, who is just now getting decent clock.

 

[Fox2monk]

I'm actually more surprised that Dillingham is a non-factor.

Both of them are getting brought slowly along, that is the thing about getting drafted to good teams. One was already there and the Rockets are primed to be really good soon. Both will be fine players in time. When Dilly gets in he looks good still.

 

[Fox2monk]

Finally got some clock yesterday and was 0-8 from the field in 18 minutes. On the season he is shooting 32% from the field. I know he’s rich now but man, this team sure could have used him.

It’s hard for him to find a rythym. He plays 0 one game, 10 the next. They should get him in the G league for awhile so he can play and develop faster.

 

[NerlensCat]

Everyone on this board is an idiot, me included.

Sorry, totally disagree.

 

[CrimsonCats]

I hate to see him struggling, although it’s way too early to say he’s a bust. I still can’t blame him for leaving though. His stock was never going to be higher than being able to go 3rd overall, and in his case, I don’t think more time in college would have improved his game all that much since his limitations are mostly physical. He already sees the floor at an elite level and shot the heck out of the ball last year even if he hasn’t been able to repeat that so far, but he wasn’t going to get quicker or taller even if he stayed for 4 years.

 

[kyboy1998]

I’m glad he left when he did financially. He will make a lot of money and he’d have been exposed this year. He really isn’t that good, the than we like him.

He won the lottery hitting a HP three. He wasn’t and isn’t that good of a shooter

 

[fatguy87]

I'm mildly surprised he hasn't been sent to the g-league since he isn't getting many reps in the NBA. He's firmly stuck behind a number of players at the guard positions and Houston isn't tanking this year. Houston isn't in a spot where they can play him and let him take his bumps.

 

[fatguy87]

Regarding his development, it can take some time. Monk, for example, had the shooting and explosive athleticism coming out of the college, but it still took him until his 4th season to have an eFG% above 50.

The first pick, Risacher, is shooting under 40% for the year.

The second pick, Sarr, is shooting 41% for the year. He has played quite well in recent games.

The fourth pick, Castle, is shooting under 40% for the year.

None of the top 4 picks are really producing at even an average NBA player level.

Both of the picks ahead of him and the one after have over twice as minutes played, therefore twice as much in game NBA experience. Reed hasn't had much chance to learn and get through initial growing pains.

 

[TNCatfanforever]

The over- rush to the pro's often yields similar outcomes. The money would have been there in another year or two just as well.

Cal had to get him there. That was his goal and especially last year to totally deplete the program of every player.

 

[NerlensCat]

Regarding his development, it can take some time. Monk, for example, had the shooting and explosive athleticism coming out of the college, but it still took him until his 4th season to have an eFG% above 50.

The first pick, Risacher, is shooting under 40% for the year.

The second pick, Sarr, is shooting 41% for the year. He has played quite well in recent games.

The fourth pick, Castle, is shooting under 40% for the year.

None of the top 4 picks are really producing at even an average NBA player level.

Both of the picks ahead of him and the one after have over twice as minutes played, therefore twice as much in game NBA experience. Reed hasn't had much chance to learn and get through initial growing pains.

The difference from them and Shepherd is that all of them were considered defensive players with a developing offensive game. Shepherd was supposed to be the shooter, who could be good enough on offense that you could live with his on-ball defense, especially if he gets some steals from his basketball IQ.

 

[fatguy87]

The difference from them and Shepherd is that all of them were considered defensive players with a developing offensive game. Shepherd was supposed to be the shooter, who could be good enough on offense that you could live with his on-ball defense, especially if he gets some steals from his basketball IQ.

Oddly enough, Shep has a better defensive rating and defense box +/- than all three. He's the only one of the bunch with a positive defensive box +/-. His box score production on defense is why he has vastly more win shares/48 than the rest of the top 4.

A good bit of this apparent paradox can be linked to some small sample size theater. His 340 minutes played translates to about 10-12 games played for a starter. Some weird stuff can happen in such a few number of games.

 

[NerlensCat]

Oddly enough, Shep has a better defensive rating and defense box +/- than all three. He's the only one of the bunch with a positive defensive box +/-. His box score production on defense is why he has vastly more win shares/48 than the rest of the top 4.

A good bit of this apparent paradox can be linked to some small sample size theater. His 340 minutes played translates to about 10-12 games played for a starter. Some weird stuff can happen in such a few number of games.

Oddly enough, Shep has a better defensive rating and defense box +/- than all three. He's the only one of the bunch with a positive defensive box +/-. His box score production on defense is why he has vastly more win shares/48 than the rest of the top 4.

A good bit of this apparent paradox can be linked to some small sample size theater. His 340 minutes played translates to about 10-12 games played for a starter. Some weird stuff can happen in such a few number of games.

Are the other guys on really bad teams? Houston, as a team, has the second best defensive rating in the league. I think the advanced statistics are not as valid when you are talking such a small sample size.

I really hope he can get out of his shooting slump. That is his ticket to longevity. Longevity is the key to getting the next level for any rookie.

 

[ncaaky]

I know a heck of a lot of people who bet a heck of a lot of money on Reed at 4-1 to win Rookie of the Year just because he scored 20 points in summer league game against a bunch of below average college players.

 

[catsfanbgky]

Might be on a similar path minutes wise as Cason Wallace, who is just now getting decent clock.

Not exactly. Wallace played in all 82 games as a rookie, starting 13, played 20.6 minutes per game. This year he has played in 29 games, starting 17 and playing 26.5 minutes per game. He plays a ROLE for OKC, they are super talented, and super young. He is starting but actually averaging less ppg than he did last year. But he plays his role very well. They do not need scoring from him, they need tough defense, and a solid all around player who if open, knock down 3's. He shot 42% from 3FG last year, only 30% so far this year. But his role is not as a scorer. With that roster, never will be. he and Curoso are glue guys and do the dirty work that lets the stars shine.

 

[B.B.H.]

He had the chance to be a king. He is rich that’s for sure. And nobody could ever blame someone for making that decision.

The kid was born to play for Kentucky. I miss him like all UK fans.

Agreed. At the end of the day, Reed’s legacy at UK was zero postseason wins on a so-so team. Definitely don’t blame him for going to the NBA, hard to turn down that opportunity.

 

[DraftCat]

He's going to be fine. Year 2 Shep is going to be much much better.

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

I think he stays if he sees our roster before deciding. He had to be thinking that we were going to have an awful team and it would hurt his draft stock.

 

[TJ-Cat]

Reed had to make a "grown up" decision. I'm sure staying at UK and being a star would have been a lot more fun and would have been better for his basketball life/career. He may never play any meaningful basketball again, although I think he can and sincerely hope he does. I'm sure he was torn but at the end of the day he made the best decision for his life in general. Sometimes making the most prudent decision is not the most fun and in doing so we have to give up things we want or like to do in exchange for future security and stability.