Reed Sheppard report card

To me Im not as worried about his footwork on ball as as I am about his anticipation and strength. A lot of times hes able to get in front of his man when they attack downhill but they just go right through him.

I think with better anticipation/experience he should be able to get some charges and when hes not in position for that hopefully some added strength will help him not get pushed back so easily. When there is physical contact he almost always loses that battle. He's got to work on his lower body strength and improve his leverage this offseason. In the weight room, legs and core should be his primary focus.

For now though, I think what he does offensively plus his ability to get stocks is more than enough to win with and for him to keep getting high minutes.

 

99.9

 

I agree Reed needs to learn to take charges… but I’m fully convinced that Ime doesn’t believe in them. We are tied for the 4th lowest number of charges drawn in the league at 11. (Apparently no one believes in them anymore because more than half the league has under 20)

 

It's not bizarre. All you're seeing is Ime figured out he can now use Reed to mask his offensive deficiencies the same way he did with Fred. See: FVV's minutes under Ime for reference.

 

Ime is right not to trust charges. It is often a subjective call and the league is still all about favoritism to stars and to certain teams. Reed’s anticipation and bbiq might allow him to be an average defender, but his physical limitations will always prevent him from being a plus on that side of the ball. The Rockets need his shooting on the court, so it is imperative that Ime bites the bullet and let’s him play 30+ mins the rest of the year more to work on his defense and offensive synergies with the starters. A team that cannot beat GSW in it’s current state and barely hold on to victories against the Washingtons and Portlands (without their best player) of the world, should be concentrating on development the rest of the year.