The only reason DJ's numbers are looking much less than Reed is because he pushes/makes things happen. It is hard to make mistakes when you are simply passing the ball around the floor like Reed has been doing for the past several games. When you are driving the ball down the mouth of the beast against your opponents' starters, the game is a lot harder. However, DJ's aggressiveness is needed. If Reed isn't going to be more assertive and aggressive offensively like he was earlier in the season, coming off the bench is right where he belongs.DJ is playing better from a personal standpoint but even in our 2 last games against Texas A&M and Mississippi State, Wagner is -5 and +4 for a total of -1 when he is on the court. Sheppard is +4 and +21 for a total of +25 in the last 2 games. Is that more recent enough for you? Yeah, DJ is better at driving and creating his own shot. Wagner has the lowest shooting percentage on the team. So his ability to drive must mean he still misses close shots. His shooting percentage is actually lower in his last 2 games than it is for the season, which I already stated was the worst on the team. This is coming from a guy that can get to the rim. As a team player, it’s not even close how much better the team plays with Sheppard in. Jimmy Dykes said the other day that Wagners defensive statistics are among the worst in the league and that opponents are shooting at a very high percent when he is the primary defender. I think he said opponents were shooting 62% against him. Hey, but he is shooting 44% against them. DJs assist per game are among the worst for a starting PG under Calipari. Sheppard averages more assist, steals, rebounds, blocks, whether we are talking about averages for the season or the last 2 games. Even if Sheppard isn’t shooting, the team still has a better flow when he is on the court, and that’s what it is about. It’s a team sport. I wish there was a way to see what lineup had the best +/- together. With the significant difference between Wagner and Sheppard, it almost guarantees that Sheppard is bringing Wagners +/- up while Wagner is bringing Sheppards down.
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