Reed Sheppard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: 2024/25 Awards, Gaston, Underrated Offseason Moves, Thomas

August 21st, 2024 at 6:15pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Entering the 2024/25 season, the top three finalists for last year’s MVP appear to once again be the leading candidates for the award. A panel of ESPN’s sportswriters and analysts predict how the upcoming season’s award season will pan out and Luka Doncic received 48% of first-place votes for Most Valuable Player (ESPN+ link). Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander round out the top three.

Neither of the 2024 draft’s top two picks crack ESPN’s top five Rookie of the Year predictions. Houston’s Reed Sheppard is the overwhelming favorite among the finalists, earning 62% of first place votes. Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan round out the top three. As explained in the article, Sheppard potentially playing big minutes right away for a team with playoff aspirations may have factored into the voting.

Another race ESPN’s writers don’t think will be close is that of the Defensive Player of the Year award. Victor Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite with 67% of first-place votes, with Bam Adebayo (14%) and Rudy Gobert (5%) rounding out the top three. Wembanyama made an immediate impact on the defensive end last season, putting up multiple outings with video game-level box scores en route to averaging 1.2 steals and 3.6 blocks as a rookie.

As usual, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year had less of a consensus in terms of preseason favorites. Malik Monk and Alex Caruso lead the way for the Sixth Man award, but Naz Reid, Jaime Jaquez, T.J. McConnell and Bobby Portis all earned at least 10% of the first-place votes. Wembanyama and other young players were atop the list of Most Improved candidates, while Coby White, who finished second in MIP voting last season, also ranked highly. After his team made several moves this offseason, New York’s Tom Thibodeau led the way in votes for the top coach spot.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former CEO of Family First agency, Chris Gaston, is making the move to Octagon Basketball, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Gaston is the agent of former NBAers Damyean Dotson, Chris Smith and Josh Gray. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are among current NBA players repped by Octagon.
The Mavericks trading Tim Hardaway Jr. and second-round picks for Quentin Grimes is one of the more underrated moves of the offseason, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. Moving Hardaway not only brought in a young wing in Grimes but it also set the stage for Dallas to have enough cap flexibility to sign Naji Marshall and acquire Klay Thompson. Another underrated move in Hollinger’s eyes was Phoenix adding Tyus Jones, which gave the Suns a starting-caliber point guard without sacrificing any further draft capital. Other moves Hollinger liked were the Warriors‘ additions, The Rockets‘ draft capital maneuvering and the Timberwolves‘ trade to move into the top 10 of this year’s draft.
Brodric Thomas is the latest player to join the G League United roster for the September exhibition tournament, as announced by the league (Twitter link). Thomas has appeared in 44 games across two NBA seasons with Houston, Cleveland and Boston. The tournament is set to take place on Sept. 4 and 6 against KK Mega Basket.

And-Ones: Toscano-Anderson, 2024 Draft Class, Durant, FAs

August 13th, 2024 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran swingman Juan Toscano-Anderson, who appeared in 11 games with Sacramento last season and spent much of the year playing for the Mexico City Capitanes, will be part of the G League United roster that plays a pair of exhibition games against Mega Basket in September (Twitter link).

In past years, the G League Ignite participated in those exhibition contests against international clubs — the most notable games occurred in 2022 when Scoot Henderson and the Ignite matched up against Victor Wembanyama and Metropolitans 92. However, with the Ignite no longer active, the NBAGL will put together an All-Star team of sorts for this year’s event.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Asked during an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George about No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and the rest of the prospects selected near the top of his year’s draft, Hawks guard Trae Young suggested that there may not be any franchise players in the 2024 class. “Some guys might surprise us, but a lot of us look at them as role players,” Young said (hat tip to Clutch Points). “… Whether it’s Reed (Sheppard), who is going to be a hell of an NBA player or Alex (Sarr), who didn’t play well in Summer League, but is going to be a hell of an NBA player, a lot of these guys could be just role players, so I feel like the GMs this year were all probably just trying to figure out who is going to be the best role player for their team.”
Suns star Kevin Durant has become a minority stakeholder in the French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain, according to an announcement from his investment firm Boardroom (Twitter link). Sources with knowledge of the deal tell Peter Rutzler and Shams Charania of The Athletic that Durant and Boardroom bought a “single digit millions” shareholding in the club. Durant visited with the team while he was in France for the Olympics.
Who are the top free agents still available? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers that question, ranking Cavaliers restricted free agent Isaac Okoro atop his list, followed by Markelle Fultz, Lonnie Walker, Cedi Osman, and Justin Holiday. Okoro, Fultz, and Osman are the only players from our June list of this summer’s top 50 free agents who are still seeking new deals.

Western Notes: DeRozan, Rockets, Suns, D. Jones

August 12th, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Kings wing DeMar DeRozan is staying sharp in California. DeRozan erupted for 54 points for the Mecca Cheaters in the Drew League championship game on Sunday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. The Drew League is a pro-am event held every year in Los Angeles. DeRozan was named the game’s MVP after his team erased a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes and pulled out a one-point victory.

A free agent last month, DeRozan was acquired from the Bulls in a blockbuster, three-team deal. His new contract with the Kings is worth approximately $74MM over three years.

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Rockets are doing some early bonding, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jalen Green is hosting a players-only minicamp in Los Angeles this week with Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson among the teammates expected to show up.
The Suns are hiring Oronde Taliaferro as their director of scouting, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Taliaferro, who is expected to focus on college scouting, was previously a scout for the Nets.
The Thunder‘s Dillon Jones, the No. 26 overall pick, is one of the most interesting rookies in this class, Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated opines. Oklahoma City was interested in selecting Jones, a Weber State product, in the second round last year before he opted to return to college to improve his stock. The Thunder gave up five second-round picks in a deadline-deal with the Knicks to acquire the 26th pick. Jones could play a variety of positions for a coaching staff that enjoys tinkering with rotations and lineups.

Execs, Scouts Share Feedback, Predictions For 2024 Draft Class

July 31st, 2024 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the 20 NBA executives and scouts polled by Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link), 15 predicted that Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, will have a more successful NBA career than No. 2 pick Alex Sarr of the Wizards.

However, only one of those 20 respondents predicted that Risacher will end up being the best pick of the 2024 draft. Seven voters chose No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard for that honor, per Givony and Woo.

“Sheppard is going to help Houston right away, and I think he has a chance to be an All-Star down the road,” one high-level Eastern Conference executive told ESPN.

Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, who went seventh overall, was the second-leading vote-getter for the best pick of the draft, earning three votes.

“I thought [Clingan] was a steal on draft night at 7, but the things he did defensively in summer league were unreal with the impact he made,” one respondent said. “Now they have him shooting trail and pick-and-pop threes. If he starts making those consistently, that’s a game-changer with the way he can pass and protect the rim.”

Here are a few more of the most notable answers from the poll conducted by ESPN’s draft experts:

Pistons forward Ron Holland (No. 5 overall) and Bucks guard AJ Johnson (No. 23) each earned four votes for the biggest reach of the draft. “I feel bad for Cade Cunningham,” one source told ESPN. “They’ve been rebuilding for years even though they never planned on it, and this pick signals they might need to blow up the roster and start over again. I just don’t see how [Holland] plays with Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and all their other young guys. That situation is a mess. Even when Holland was scoring in Vegas, it was so ugly to watch.”
Five of the 20 respondents picked Wizards guard Carlton Carrington (No. 14 overall) as the player who will become the biggest steal of this year’s draft, with one Western Conference executive comparing him to Tyrese Maxey.
Sheppard (seven votes), Grizzlies center Zach Edey (four), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (three), and Clingan (two) were the only players who were chosen by multiple respondents as their Rookie of the Year pick.
Feedback on this year’s two-day draft format was generally positive, according to Givony and Woo, with executives expressing appreciation for the break in between the two rounds that allowed them to do additional research ahead of day two. However, one GM criticized the decision to invite so many prospects to the green room, since it resulted in multiple players leaving Barclays Center after day one without being selected.
Here’s how one of ESPN’s 20 respondents evaluated the two-day format: “Some of the people in our front office didn’t like how much this second day helps the disorganized teams who typically wing it and can be taken advantage of from a strategy standpoint. But the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to better drafting and decision-making. There were a ton of trades and I think next year you’ll see some real creativity now that we have a better idea for how the evening looks.”

And-Ones: Risacher, Sarr, Sheppard, LeBron, TV Package, Beverley

July 27th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

The top two picks in the draft — Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr — were also two of the biggest disappointments during Summer League action, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes.

The Hawks‘ Risacher shot 11-of-28 from the floor in 59 minutes before being sidelined by a quad contusion. The Wizards‘ Sarr shot 0-of-15 from the field in his third game and only scored two points in his fourth outing. The Pacers‘ Jarace Walker and Timberwolves‘ Rob Dillingham were among the other notable players who struggled in Vegas.

On the flip side, third overall pick Reed Sheppard of the Rockets showcased his all-around skills, Hollinger writes. Another standout was Scotty Pippen Jr., who made a strong case to be the Grizzlies‘ backup point guard.

The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann and ESPN’s experts also shared their thoughts on the biggest takeaways from Summer League action.

We have more from around the basketball world:

LeBron James ranks No. 1 among the top 25 players in this century, according to a poll of ESPN experts. Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal round out the top five.
The new broadcasting deals signed by the league with Disney, NBC and Amazon include national broadcasts on every day of the week during the regular season. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps provides more details on the rights packages.
Patrick Beverley will not face criminal charges for throwing a basketball at a Pacers fan during the playoffs, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov tweets. A Marion County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman said the county won’t bring charges after it reviewed the Indianapolis police department investigation. Beverley is expected to play with an Israeli team next season.

Nets’ Jalen Wilson Named Summer League MVP

July 22nd, 2024 at 6:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets forward Jalen Wilson has been named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, the league’s communications department tweets.

Wilson averaged 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.6 steals while shooting 47.3% from the field and 55.0% from 3-point range in five games in Vegas.

His performances should solidify his spot on the team’s roster this upcoming season. The 23-year-old has a $1.89MM minimum-salary contract for 2024/25 that is currently just partially guaranteed for $75K. It increases to a partial guarantee of $325K if he makes the opening night roster.

Oddly, Wilson was only named to the All-Summer League Second Team. The First Team included the Grizzlies‘ GG Jackson II and Scotty Pippen Jr,, the Clippers‘ Jordan Miller, the Rockets‘ Reed Sheppard and the Heat‘s Kel’el Ware.

The Grizzlies and Heat reached the Summer League championship game. Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in last month’s draft, averaged 20.0 points, 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals in four Las Vegas outings.

Along with Wilson, the Second Team included the Wizards‘ Carlton Carrington, the Trail Blazers‘ Donovan Clingan, the Heat‘s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the Pacers‘ Jarace Walker (Twitter links).

Southwest Notes: Kennard, Pelicans, Murphy, Whitmore

July 18th, 2024 at 6:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Checking in on where things stand between the Grizzlies and Luke Kennard, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that the sharpshooter’s return to Memphis “still feels inevitable” even though it’s taking longer than expected.

The Grizzlies declined Kennard’s $14.8MM team option at the end of June, but the expectation has always been that he would return on a more team-friendly cap number. He hasn’t been linked to any other suitors since free agency began.

Sources tell Cole that the Grizzlies would like to keep their 15th roster spot for the sake of flexibility entering the regular season. Since the team currently has 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, re-signing Kennard may mean trading someone else — Ziaire Williams is rumored to be on the block.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

While head of basketball operations David Griffin said on an ESPN broadcast this week that the Pelicans are “really excited” about what they have at center and are looking forward to playing “small and fast,” it’s fair to wonder if one more move is coming to shore up the position, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Veteran Daniel Theis currently sits atop New Orleans’ depth chart at the five, with rookies Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic behind him and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl potentially in the mix as well.
Within the same story, Clark reports that the Pelicans and fourth-year wing Trey Murphy have opened discussions about a rookie scale extension. The two sides have “differing viewpoints” on Murphy’s value for now, but there’s optimism they’ll find a middle ground and make a deal before the October 21 deadline, Clark writes.
Rockets forward Cam Whitmore has been shut down for the rest of Summer League, but rookie guard Reed Sheppard will continue playing in Las Vegas, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). Last year’s Summer League MVP, Whitmore has struggled with his shooting efficiency this time around, making just 38.3% of his shot attempts, including 1-of-14 three-pointers, but Houston knows what he’s capable of offensively and he impressed in other areas (7.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 3.3 SPG).

Rockets Notes: Sheppard, Whitmore, Griffin, Summer League

July 13th, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The first few minutes of Reed Sheppard‘s Summer League debut weren’t productive, but he began to recognize opportunities while watching the final four minutes of the first quarter from the bench, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. When he returned to action, Sheppard displayed the qualities that convinced the Rockets to select him with the No. 3 pick in the draft — an elite jump shot, sharp defensive instincts, and a high I.Q. for the game.

“He just stayed the course,” said Garrett Jackson, Houston’s Summer League coach. “He was just steady. Let the game come to him, making the right reads. Any time we could get him playing pick-and-roll in space, especially high on the court, he was able to make reads, attack bigs, pull up and shoot.”

Sheppard began exploiting gaps in the Lakers’ defense, especially in the third quarter when he hit 5-of-7 shots and scored 12 points. He finished the game with 23 points, five assists, four rebounds, three blocks and a steal, and Iko points out that he was able to create separation off the dribble and make passes to set up teammates for open shots.

“Those types of instincts kind of remind me of (Rockets point guard) Fred (VanVleet),” Jackson said. “Fred’s not the tallest guy, but he’s very smart. Defensively, he’s got quick hands and knows how to jump lanes. Reed is very similar.”

There’s more on the Rockets:

After a strong rookie season, it wasn’t certain that Cam Whitmore would return to the Summer League, but the league’s reigning MVP couldn’t resist the allure of playing basketball in Las Vegas, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. It hasn’t been decided how many games the team will permit Whitmore to play, so the second-year wing wants to set an example for his teammates in any way he can. “I think I had the same swagger and confidence coming into Summer League last year,” Whitmore said. “I would say a little higher chip on the shoulder because of the draft (last summer after his surprising fall to the 20th pick). This year, I’m going to keep that same intensity, keep that same mentality, just try to spread it around the other guys to win the championship.”
AJ Griffin is enjoying a fresh start with Houston after his career stagnated in Atlanta, Feigen adds in a separate story. The Rockets, who were interested in drafting Griffin two years ago, were able to acquire him from the Hawks last month. “I got the mindset to be able to have a chip on my shoulder,” Griffin said. “It motivates you to prove yourself in this league. New city, new teammates and everything. I’m just having fun out there, get used to the guys here. It’s fun playing together, get the feel for everyone’s games.”
In case you missed it, the Rockets have been placed in West Group A along with the Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings and Trail Blazers for this year’s Emirates NBA Cup.

Reed Sheppard Signs Rookie Scale Contract With Rockets

July 2nd, 2024 at 4:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Reed Sheppard has signed his rookie scale contract with the Rockets, according to the NBA transactions log.

The third overall pick in the draft, Sheppard will make $10,098,960 in his first year, assuming the usual 120% of the rookie scale figure given out by most teams to first-rounders. He’s due to make $45,853,024 in his first four years in the NBA.

Sheppard is the highest pick in this year’s draft thus far to sign his rookie deal.

Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Sheppard wasn’t even a starter in his lone college season at Kentucky, but he averaged 28.9 minutes per game as the Wildcats’ sixth man and impressed NBA evaluators with his shooting, play-making, and good hands on defense.

In 33 games, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per contest while making 53.6% of his field goals, including 52.1% of his three-point tries. He also shot 83.1% from the free throw line.

Southwest Notes: Missi, Sheppard, Edey, Ajinca

June 27th, 2024 at 10:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With incumbent starter Jonas Valanciunas on the cusp of unrestricted free agency and a possible departure, the Pelicans may have added a major insurance policy by drafting former Baylor center Yves Missi, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.

“The defensive versatility of (Missi) is something we were really excited about. He’s not just a rim protector. He has the ability to be a multiple-coverage big,” team president David Griffin said. “When you look at an athlete with his size and the way he tested for us here. The things he’s capable of physically are very rare.”

Guillory cautions that Missi is liable to run into foul trouble and may not be ready to immediately contribute, with general manager Bryson Graham referring to the big man as “developmental.” However, Graham also likened Missi to Dereck Lively II, who played a major role as a rookie for the Western Conference champions in Dallas.

“He has such a good feel for finding space. He’s able to set screens and play in the dunker (spot),” Graham said. “It’s a lot like a Dereck Lively-type. I think his feel for the game is very advanced. (Having) somebody like that next to (Zion Williamson), it’s going to unlock him.”

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Had former Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard been selected by the Hawks or Wizards with the first or second pick in the draft on Wednesday, the Rockets had a plan to trade down. When he fell to Houston with the third pick, Houston stayed put, enticed by the 20-year-old’s long range shooting acumen. During a conversation with The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, the 6’2″ guard revealed exactly what Rockets brass wants him to contribute from the jump. “The biggest thing right away is the shooting, just coming in and being able to knock down shots,” Sheppard said. “But at the same time, coming in and doing what you do daily. Playing basketball the right way. Having a high IQ. Just doing the right basketball play.”
Despite rumors that his team was trying to move up to select Donovan Clingan, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman suggested in comments to reporters on Wednesday that Memphis had been targeting All-American former Purdue center Zach Edey with the No. 9 pick all along, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Let’s just say this is exactly what we were hoping would happen,” Kleiman said. “When we talk about the DNA of this team and what we are trying to build out, Zach Edey to a T is that definition.”
The Mavericks only added one new player near the end of this year’s draft, 6’8″ small forward Melvin Ajinca. Dallas traded its own No. 58 pick and cash considerations to the Knicks in order to acquire the French swingman at No. 51. Despite the fact that 50 players were selected before Ajinca, general manager Nico Harrison is excited by the 20-year-old’s ceiling, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “He’s really young and he has huge upside,” Harrison said. “We just like the way he plays. He has a chance to be really good.”