Does Reed Sheppard have Flaws? (Kentucky Wildcats Insider Aaron Gershon on Rockets 1st rd pick)

Does Reed Sheppard have Flaws? (Kentucky Wildcats Insider Aaron Gershon on Rockets 1st rd pick)

[Music] welcome to Houston sports talk with your host Robert land thanks for checking into the best Houston sports podcast part of the believe Network and joining me to take an in-depth look at the Rockets first round pick Reed Shepard is believe Network colleague Aaron Gerson who covers the Kentucky Wildcats on the believe and Kentucky podcast thanks for giving us a few minutes here and good to see you anytime I appreciate you having me and uh excited to talk about Reed here he had such an awesome year and means a lot to to the state of Kentucky uh back home and it it’s a really cool thing that he became the first college player to come off the board in this year’s draft in Landon Houston where the first time I actually covered him in person was at the McDonald’s All-American Game at the Toyota Center and that’s going to be his home Marena so pretty cool pretty cool full circle moment for him awesome and the first million-dollar question I got for you this is the biggie how well do you think he translates to the NBA yeah I I think he has a chance to be a very very solid player the Point shooting is going to translate it’s so so important and this is a guy that honestly should have taken more shots last year I don’t even think his threo attempts qualified um in the college ranks but if they did I’m pretty sure at 52.1% he would have been the number one three-point shooter in the country just a guy who can pull up from anywhere on the floor and score the ball and he’s a really really high IQ player and I think that’s obviously going to translate we see some of the passes he makes and some of the outlets he sees and I just don’t think you you get that every day and on the defensive side there are definitely things that he needs to work on on the next level he needs to be more disciplined he needs to kind of just learn when to take his chances but he’s a very instinctual player that sometimes it kind of gets him into trouble so I think the coaching aspect with a guy like Oka who for my money is one of the better coaches in the NBA um I think that side of his game because the skills are there he can take the ball away he he’s like I said he’s very instinctual it’s just a matter of knowing when to take those risks and not and I think with the right coaching in the NBA uh that part of his game is going to improve as well so he’s got all the tools in his bag I think he’s Landing in a really exciting spot there too in Houston with some of the other pieces they have I’m sure you’ve listened to most of the draft chatter on Shephard were there any misconceptions about who he was what kind of player he was yeah I just think it kind of flew under the radar that this was not what was supposed to happen with rude Shepard right when you think of Kentucky and obviously the caliper era that just finished here you think one and done so you think these star freshmen who came in as the high five stars and they were you know expected to be lottery picks right you think of dear Fox Carl Anthony towns Anthony Davis let’s goes on and on Reed Shepard was a fourstar guy that was kind of for a while because Cal Perry wasn’t necessarily the biggest into instate recruiting like there was a lot of chatter like is he even going to recruit Reed Shepard and obviously he ended up doing so and Reed Shepard being a legacy guy Kentucky was always going to come to Kentucky if given the opportunity he was a four-star guy he wasn’t McDonald’s All-American as I mentioned there were some people who believed he shouldn’t have been and maybe if he had had committed to Virginia which was probably the second choice for him that he wouldn’t have been uh he ends up at McDonald’s All-American barely played in that McDonald’s All-American Game was one of the last guys off the bench and the expectation uh you know coming into the season from both Reed himself from Coach Cal from everyone I talked to was three to four year college player and let’s we’ll see how it goes in year one he I mean from really we kind of knew at at Global Jam an event they played up in Canada that he had a chance to be special but there was just it was never expected to be the first college player taken off the board in the 24th draft that was just never a thing so I do think you know the draft coverage like there was a fail to mention that I think there was a little bit of uh a discredit to just how much he went out and earned uh the slot he was taken his three-point shooting was historic but is there anything about his shooting that lends to it being an anomaly I believe in high school yeah his career shot was 37% from three the naysayers point out low volume at Kentucky low volume right I mean what do you think I think that’s the only thing you can say right is the low volume like like I said off there at the top he didn’t necessarily I don’t think he qualified taken 144 attempts but I think when you make 144s it’s not a terrible sample size it’s it’s a pretty good sample size so I guess that’s a fair criticism that you know maybe more volume and that average would be down but I don’t think we’re talking about a significant average drop there I I just think he’s a peer shooter his form is is excellent he’s very confident in his shot and I I don’t think anything from a shooting standpoint was an anomaly at all I I don’t I don’t view it that way do I think there are definitely some things he needs to work on and to improve at the next level to ensure that his shot stays that way and like I said more so in the defensive end yes but I don’t think an anomaly would be fair to to the year he had by any means and you saw I’m sure every game NBA range we’re talking about right yes absolutely and some really close shots too I mean I think the game that kind of solidified himself he was going to be he was already you know in the lottery discussion basically all season but he had a game down in Starkville at Mississippi State where it wasn’t you know he hit I think at four I have it in front of me four for seven from three that night hit some NBA 3es but just he was able to get every spot on the court whether we’re talking floater layup uh mid-range three he was just hitting from everywhere scored 32 that night scored a floater uh as the as the clock expired to win at the buzzer shot 11 for 14 from the field I mean he had a couple games like that the game at Tennessee where he went seven for 10 for three went seven for eight for three in an early season game against Stonehill I mean he just was a knockdown shooter from all aspects all all areas on the floor but from three yeah NBA range we’re not talking right behind the line maybe till on the line three uh he’s a guy who was an assassin from deep I mean again you don’t shoot uh 52% on accident the key to unlock Shepard as a legitimate NBA starter is the ability I believe to play the point guard position does he have the ball handling and Leadership to do that leadership uh and and passing I I definitely think are there uh no doubt about it I mean when he came off the floor there’s a reason why Kentucky fans are still so pissed off at John caler because he didn’t start for them and he was a guy that just set the tone for everything they did he was the tone Setter of this offense and again I think his assist numbers were near borderline five assists per game so I think the floor General aspect there were some passes that made you turn your head for sure that he would make he would definitely see things that I don’t think every point guard could the ball handling is there as well uh the turn over numbers weren’t horrible I don’t believe off the top of my head I think he had 60-ish on the year and he was their primary ball hander a lot of the year you know DJ Wagner was kind of ining out of the lineup with injury even when DJ was starting over him Reed was playing the majority of the minutes just not necessarily the first three to four so um yeah I definitely I definitely think he could he could play the point guard position for sure and I definitely know he could play the two so uh it’ll be interesting to see what Houston decides to do there you mentioned CIP Perry what was his reasoning when he was asked about that why him and dham were not starting it was uh ridiculous he said it didn’t matter who’s starting uh because we’re winning which the problem is they ended up tanking or not tanking but uh the bottom fell out at the end of the year uh losing in the SEC tournament first game and then of course the Oakland game so there was no really ever good explanation for it Cal is a guy that is loyal to a fault sometimes and DJ Wagner who was the starting point guard is a guy he’s known his whole life dwan Wagner was you know DJ’s dad and C Cal coached him at Memphis and that was his first one and done so there’s a loyalty aspect there and then that shooting guard you had a veteran in Antonio Reeves who’s obviously a draft pick so you understand maybe why Dillingham was the six-man but Reed not starting was one of the biggest question marks all year and it just happened to be that Kentucky was a team that got off to a lot of slow starts and then they would insert Reed and Rob together Off the Bench and all of a sudden they’d go on these runs so it was a big point of contention throughout the year we never really got a firm answer on it but I believe Reed only ended up with maybe six or seven starts and those were all in games that uh DJ Wagner was either out of the lineup or limited yeah just on a side note I covered caliper when he first got to Memphis I was working at the CBS in Memphis doing sports there and I remember you know Dewan Wagner was a big deal yeah coming to uh Memphis so I know they go back to that time and yeah that’s and Dean Wagner was supposed to be this Phenom absolutely kind of happen yeah and you know Reeds plus minuses past season I’m sure got noticed by the Rockets brass and absolutely they love him from an analytical standpoint so so did NBA expert draft expert Kevin Pelton who ranked him number one on his board did it appear to you like he was affecting winning as much as the plus minus was Katie no no doubt about it I think if you take Reed Shepard off Kentucky last year it’s not like where you have a winds above replacement that like baseball but man if you take Reed Shepard off this team last year I could rattle off five or six games off just right off the top of my head that they lose that he went out and won for them I mentioned the Mississippi State and Tennessee games on the both of those games on the road I mean without him they don’t even come close to winning either of those two so uh just the ability like I said he was able to do a little bit everything you have games where he’s able to score 20 plus you have games where he’s at five five to eight assists you know in that range you have games where he’s grabbing five to seven rebounds he just is able to affect the game in so many different ways and the steals again there are times where he gets almost overaggressive trying to make plays trying to make Steals and he’ll get his he’ll get pickpocketed there was game against Florida that they lost that caler coaching decision didn’t decide to fou three but I think the biggest this is probably something that eoka and the coaching staff in Houston will turn on the tape and Coach him up right away there’s play against Florida at home at rep arena in the final seconds where Reed just disengaged with his man who had hit six threes in the game already disengaged tried to go for a steal ball ends up with his man drills a wide open three ties the game game goes into overtime Kentucky loses so there are little things like that where sometimes his hyperaggression will hurt him but you know the steel number the ball production there uh definitely helped Kentucky win games as well so yeah if you take if you took Reed Shepard off the 23 24 cats I mean you’re not even talking about the Oakland loss because they’re going to be like an seven or eight seed and no one’s going to really care what they did in the NCA tournament from a Nationals perspective so definitely uh a winning player uh through and through they they just don’t have the season at least regular season which was pretty good that they had without him Shepard didn’t have his best game in the tournament that final loss is there is there any kind of explanation for that no there’s not really there’s no excuse for it obviously um and even in the SEC tournament I think he scored all 14 of his points uh against Texas A&M in the first half and kind of cooled down in the second um um I I don’t think I think that team was just it wasn’t I mean he obviously was the headliner because he only hit one shot and he just seemed a little hesitant out there I don’t know if it was Jitters I think there’s a lot of pressure on that whole team going into that game just given the fact Kentucky has obviously struggled mightily in the NCA tournament the last couple years and breed Shepard being the Kentucky kid the Legacy player there’s probably a lot of pressure on his shoulders but at the end of the day you know in the NBA there’s going to be pressure every single night especially when you’re drafted as high as he is so I expect that to be more of an anomaly expect that to be something you he learns from and and gets better from but yeah that was a that was definitely an odd odd performance from him and he just for whatever reason was very like I said very hesitant I think he only ended up taking five shots on the entire night which is just not not like him so very very weird performance but I I think it’s a little bit of an outlier yeah just the lack of shots that he’s had in general and that performance it feels like you know sometimes he doesn’t want to do something outside of the team and maybe he needs to yeah that no that definitely that was definitely a criticism from some people watching him or some people that he just sometimes was too hesitant and maybe that’s why the shot selection wasn’t there and I you know Cal Perry gets crushed for a lot but I think one thing he was just fine with this past season is kind of letting guys do their thing and you know Rob Dillingham was a guy that is a he will take shots you’re like no no no yeah type shots right where why are you pulling up and they end up going in when he’d have nights where those ter those terrible shot attempts would miss and he’d let him shoot through it and Reed I I’m pretty sure I know for a facts was given the same leash but he seemed a little less willing to take it like Dillingham just He he’ll take any shot any day so there definitely needs to be some hey just just go do your thing you’re you’re too good to pass up some shots and you know throughout the year that was a common theme where he passed some things up and that Oakland game unfortunately was where it peaked and it really showed up in in front of a national audience where he just didn’t take enough shots is there anything that you can tell us about his personality or his interest off the court or just like all we heard about was his parents played basketball he’s a Hoops head he’s a Kentucky classic you know old school it was like who’s your deal he and it’s honestly he’s that that’s pretty spot-on he doesn’t give you much in the media he’s not going to say anything that’s going to turn anyone’s head I’d say when you hear him in an interview room he’s very accountable he’s very very to the point he’s not going to give you many you know big time quotes he’s not going to be a raw raw guy by any means but I do know his teammates adored and loved that him a ton I think he does have a lot of Personality that just doesn’t necessarily show up you know in the press conference setting but definitely does in the locker room he he was a fan favorite from day one like I said going back to that Ford game event up in Toronto you know his teammates really gravitated toward him and talked very highly of the person he is the sense of humor he has and then like you said I mean the basketball the Bloodlines are real I mean his father Jeff Shepard won two national championships at Kentucky was drafted played a little bit in the NBA with Atlanta uh his mother was one of the best players in Kentucky women’s basketball history he grew up a DieHard Kentucky fan and lived basically every kid in the Commonwealth stream which is the to play at Kentucky and um did it at such a high level so it really is true that that kind of is that that kind of is what you get with Reed Shepard uh it’s just this crazy story of you know being able to live out your dream and no one expected the NBA part of his dream to happen after one year of college but it did and uh I think he’s a very blue collar guy he’s definitely gonna you’re never going to have to worry about an effort or a night where Reed isn’t giving it at all they’re going to like again yeah the concerns where maybe he’s too hesitant but I think that comes from a place of care comes from a place of wanting to do everything it takes to win and maybe in that scenario maybe playing a little bit cautious not you know playing not to lose not to cost the team of game so um I I think that is what you’re getting in Reed he’s just he’s Blue Collar he’s he loves basketball breathes it and you know he’s just a kid from Kentucky living out a dream that you know not many kids in the state have gotten to do I I I think the highest drafted player from the state since Rita has to be Rex Chapman and that was a a while back so um pretty impressive stuff before we roll on just a quick reminder to our audience to go back and check out our conversation with Atlanta Hawks Insider Bryce Lewis who broke down new rocket AJ Griffin’s pluses and minuses on our Monday show uh I know you’ll love that if you’re enjoying this one and make sure you’re subscribed on YouTube and your favorite audio app Aon I can’t let you go without asking about Cal’s departure you ready for him to leave or you done with Coach Cal yes yes uh I think all of us in the Kentucky media I don’t want to speak for everyone but we were ready to have a new voice just to one just from a working perspective he’s very I obviously respect the coach he is and the career he’s had he’s Hall of Famer for a reason deserves every bit of it and I think in a couple years from now he’ll be honored at rep Arina as he should but just some of the the cism saying the same thing talking down to Us Media wise and then eventually talking down to the fans I mean certain things like the SEC tournament for Kentucky fans is it’s not as big as the NCA tournament but it’s pretty damn close because it’s in Nashville three-hour drive from Lexington obviously 45 minutes from from Southern Kentucky from Bowling Green which is one of the more pop I think fourth or third most populated city in the state Kentucky fans pack that Arena Nashville every year and cal every year going into it says literally quote for quote that he doesn’t care about that tournament he cares about the next one and fans spend a ton of money to have that weekend in Nashville and he makes these comments and there it’s just like a tone death type of thing that’s developed over the years so it was definitely time for a new voice um it was definitely stunning the way it ended just because you know Kentucky had him do his radio show the Monday after they lost he went on local TV with the athletic director seemed like kiston made up with him it was just and then a week later you know he’s in Arkansas at a at a conference rival so it was definitely I think something that’s welcomed around here I think Mark Pope being a former player at Kentucky maybe doesn’t have the coaching track record from you know the NCA tournament that you would have expected from a guy who’s being hired at Kentucky but uh you do understand the hire from a youth standpoint trying to get some exuberance in here trying to get a guy who defitely is not going to talk down to fans or media just because he knows what this place is all about having won a national championship here here having played with some of the great Kentucky players of all time in in the in the mid 90s so um it it was definitely time for that to happen and you know it was interesting for a little bit everyone obviously with Reed Shepard’s draft stock you know everyone knew he was going to be a draft pick but Mark Pope and and and Jeff Shepard Reed’s dad were roommates at Kentucky so there was that Kentucky fan dream like oh is he going to go play for Dad’s best friend obviously that was never going to happen Reed was not going to turn down being the third overall pick or a top five pick whatever he was promised you know when he got those draft results back but uh it’s a cool new era that’s going to start here and I’m excited to cover it my best Kentucky basketball story I covered the SEC tournament every year from 99 to 01 when I was in Memphis and you know we we covered Old Miss at the tournament every year we would go there and one of my favorite things was uh you know as a Kentucky fan Ashley Jud was a regular and this yes she was this was her prime time back in that time I mean she was a BigTime movie star and I remember uh going into the Kentucky locker room and uh seeing her there and just you know sitting with the guys after a game you know it’s just you know she was that much a part of the team if people don’t know this about you know how much she follows the team and she would go from uh place to place a lot of times to to to see him and I did get her autograph I actually got it from my best friend from high school he’s the guy who I started this whole show with 10 11 years ago now so yeah that was pretty cool just to get a chance to meet her and she was she could have been nicer and she gave me the autograph and was fantastic yeah no she’s a she’s a Die Hard um haven’t seen her as much the last couple years probably because the program hasn’t been nearly as fun as it was the early half of the Calera but it there’s a lot of excitement in this program I think that’s been missing I mean I don’t know if you got a chance to see any of the clips from Mark Pope’s introductory press conference literally 24,000 fans uh and they turned more away at rep Arena so there’s a buzz here I think some of those celebrity types are going to return this year and check out the start of this new era so uh it’s a really cool time but you know Reed Shepard is a guy that this fan base will adore forever he’ll never have to buy another drink anywhere in the state of Kentucky again so uh I think everyone I think there’s gonna be a new wave of Rocket fans maybe you know a common thing for these Kentucky fans obviously there’s no NBA team in the state of Kentucky the closest is the Pacers and a lot of fans don’t want to root for Indiana because it’s you know the hooers but um you’re going to see flock of Kentucky fans be rocket fans they love following their guys especially the ones that are below so uh I wouldn’t I would expect some new members of that fan base down in Houston uh coming from the Bluegrass State I I doubt we kept any of them from the Patrick Patterson or the Terrence Jones yeah no that this is a little different this and even if re the type of guy even if the Rockets you know it doesn’t work out from a winning side which I think it will I think they’re building it the exact Right Way um but uh these fans are going to love him to death I mean he’s a guy again he’ll uh he’s never buying another drink he’s never buying anything again in the state of Kentucky and there going to be a lot of fans uh from there from home that are going to be they’re going to be rocket fans now I already know a couple that’s said pledged their allegiance to to Houston last last week or so do you feel like Dillingham landed in a perfect spot Minnesota I love that I love that spot too I really was excited when it was San Antonio but uh when he got traded to Minnesota to join that back court and already a team that it’s kind of established as a winner or should be right back in the mix again next year kind of needed another Big Time score in their back court I think that’s a perfect spot and I think it’s a spot where there’s not going to be too much pressure on them because they have uh some Superstar Talent already especially Anthony Edwards who is you know developing into a top five player in the sport so um I did I really did like that spot I think both guys landed in really perfect scenarios for what they they do best and um and even Antonio Reeds as Reeds as well in New Orleans I think he’s an underrated guy that I hope breaks through and is able to stay off the g-league track stay in the NBA and uh effect winning down there too so um this was a a fun draft class last one of the caliper era so um some good stuff yeah we kind of think that maybe that caliper deal where guys look a lot better once they get to the NBA and kind of get away from him is gonna rub off a that’s that was my I’m like let’s let I want to take a shot with him because I’ve seen this too many times where Kentucky guys like H I don’t know and then they come to the NDA totally different deal oh yeah I mean I’m a I’m a Knicks fan and Emanuel quickley is a guy I covered for two years one of my favorite guys I ever covered and what did he just get paid 5175 I mean he was drafted 25th so you know say what you want about Cal he especially with the guards man they uh they all seem to develop in into stars in the NBA I mean Tyrese Maxi I think he was 21st overall like it doesn’t matter where they’re picked they they seem to they seem to catch fire what’s the latest on believe in Kentucky and and tell us what else you do because I know it’s not just the believe in Kentucky yeah no I’m the beat writer for the catspaw which is the 247 affiliate also we have our local magazine in yearbook in town cover basketball and football mainly but this year with baseball was in Omaha for the College World Series did a lot more baseball covers this year cover all things Kentucky I’m on the beat every every football basketball game I’m there it’s a it’s a fun gig and Wednesday nights believe in Kentucky with uh Vinnie Hardy uh former writer Jaylen Whitlow former Kentucky starting quarterback uh 2013 2012 we pretty much just hit on all things Kentucky football basketball baseball when they’re going um and we also just talk about Pro Sports Vinnie happens to be a Rockets fan just his whole life so he was pretty ecstatic that Reed was drafted by Houston yeah we chop it up every Wednesday night at 900 PM Eastern and uh we we’ve had a lot of fun doing it the last couple years fine Bryce at a gersan 99 on X I love 99 Texans fans love 99 because of uh Mr JJ Watt so that’s a it’s a good number for us and can’t thank you enough for the insight into Reed Shepard and boy it’s just day we’re days away from Summer League so the first time we get to really see them in a Rockets uniform playing basketball that’s that should be excit to see it and I think they have a Minnesota game on their Summer League schedules so I’m sure that’ll be a very highly watched game in the state of Kentucky fantastic thanks a bunch anytime you’re listening to Houston Sports Talk hey don’t forget to support us by subscribing and commenting on YouTube you can always listen to us on Spotify apple or your favorite podcast app tell your friends about us and share our Show links on social media spread the word everybody thanks for listening that’s there [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

Bleav Host Robert Land asks Kentucky Wildcats Insider Aaron Gershon @AGershon99 (Bleav in Kentucky Host) for all the scoop on Rockets 1st round pick Reed Sheppard.
(:50) How does Sheppard translate to the NBA?
(2:05) Misconceptions about Sheppard?
(3:40) Can Sheppard’s great shooting be outlier?
(5:37) Does he have ball handling & leadership to play PG?
(6:39) Why didn’t Sheppard & Dillingham start?
(8:10) Was he affecting winning as much as analytics say?
(10:12) Excuse for bad game in NCAA Tourney loss?
(12:23) Personality & Character?
(14:50) Was it time for Calipari to go?
(17:12) Ashley Judd story
(19:40) Was Minnesota perfect spot for Dillingham?

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