It tend to think, Sheppard isn't attacked cuz he totally sucks. Its's cuz all the other Rockets are plus defenders, and by default a mid/average Reed is the only option to even go at. Houston Texans version, its kind of like a team "hunting" Calen Bullock. But that's cuz it's better avoiding All Pros Stingley & Pitre, and Lassiter. Its who ELSE can a team attack? (Comparing Bullock to Sheppard with NBA analogy). Since NBA plays both ways, itd be like if safety Bullock lined up on offense and gives 5 catches, 125 yards, 1 TD in 7 targets. His overall contribution both sides would outweigh that 1 average side
That’s exactly what I try to tell these people that let their narratives do the talking. entire season of sample size
His effect on the offense far outweighs his deficiencies on defense. He has to be accounted for which makes the defense stay honest therefore opening up the floor.
He doesn’t need to start quite yet, but he needs To play Major minutes and take the second or third most shots on the team. Reed/Amen/Smith I truly believe in and is worth building around. Need a shooting center and a versatile 3 and D wing That differs more than Eason.
Basketball can still be unit vs unit. As in, Starters vs Starters, and Bench vs Bench. With Reed & Tari starting, now it's a bench unit problem. The bench can give up any advantage the starters get, cuz they suck more than the other bench Having DFS, Capela, Okogie try to "build a lead" is a big ask. So Reed on the bench isn't the worst thing for now. As long as his minutes are major
Ive been saying this for a while and made a thread specifically about Reed's defense. Hes not a great defender and it looks awful at times. But he's not actually just free food for opposing teams. He by himself is not giving up way more points than what people consider good defenders are.
