Around The NBA : 2023-24 Season #3

[Dan Z]

I didn't know Castle has PG skills. Now I see why the Spurs drafted him and traded the Dillingham pick.

Castle has said that he thinks of himself as a PG. Did he play that position in HS?

It looks like he played that position a little in HS since certain websites are listing him as a combo guard.

I didn't know Castle has PG skills. Now I see why the Spurs drafted him and traded the Dillingham pick.

Its a shame that the Spurs didnt pick Edey with their 2nd pick. It wouldve been fun to see how Edey and Wemby work together.

I'm not going to lie. I was a little anti-Edey due to the "not modern enough" bias against him out there but seeing him play more, he looks fluid and fast enough to dominate any play style.

Its still early, but Edey has been a surprise so far. For entertainment reasons I think Wemby and Edey would be fun.

[MrSparkle]

Reed Sheppard is looking like Caruso meets Nash

[Muzbar]

Reed Sheppard is looking like Caruso meets Nash

I was thinking a Jimmer Fredette/Kirk Hinrich hybrid, personally.

[Chi town]

Reed Sheppard is looking like Caruso meets Nash

Rockets future looks crazy!

[Jcool0]

Reed Sheppard is looking like Caruso meets Nash

I was thinking a Jimmer Fredette/Kirk Hinrich hybrid, personally.

Its okay to compare him to none white players.

[drosestruts]

If we're overreacting and doing Reed Sheppard comparisons based on two summer-league games, I'm down.

A Tyrese Maxey/Fred VanVleet Hybrid.

Should have been the #1 pick.

[MrSparkle]

Reed Sheppard is looking like Caruso meets Nash

I was thinking a Jimmer Fredette/Kirk Hinrich hybrid, personally.

Its okay to compare him to none white players.

Ok- Carlos Arroyo meets Derrick White meets …

Nah Fredette meets Hinrich is easier.

[HomoSapien]

I was thinking a Jimmer Fredette/Kirk Hinrich hybrid, personally.

Its okay to compare him to none white players.

Ok- Carlos Arroyo meets Derrick White meets …

Nah Fredette meets Hinrich is easier.

Wally Walker meets Wally Szczerbiak meets the Smothers Brothers.

[Jcool0]

I was thinking a Jimmer Fredette/Kirk Hinrich hybrid, personally.

Its okay to compare him to none white players.

Ok- Carlos Arroyo meets Derrick White meets …

Nah Fredette meets Hinrich is easier.

Kirk Hinrich isn't even a good comparison. If he had half the talent Reed has he wouldn't of mostly been a hard working bench player.

[MrSparkle]

Its okay to compare him to none white players.

Ok- Carlos Arroyo meets Derrick White meets …

Nah Fredette meets Hinrich is easier.

Kirk Hinrich isn't even a good comparison. If he had half the talent Reed has he wouldn't of mostly been a hard working bench player.

Kirk was a hard working bench player? For who, Team USA? Or the last 2 seasons of his career?

[rosenthall]

Still think Derrick White is the best comp for Reed Sheppard. With a little bit of Fred Van Fleet thrown in.

[rosenthall]

Ok- Carlos Arroyo meets Derrick White meets …

Nah Fredette meets Hinrich is easier.

Kirk Hinrich isn't even a good comparison. If he had half the talent Reed has he wouldn't of mostly been a hard working bench player.

Kirk was a hard working bench player? For who, Team USA? Or the last 2 seasons of his career?

Prime Kirk Hinrich was a legit really good player. 36 MPG 2-way backcourt player that could guard 1-3, and play both guard positions on offense. The original Jrue Holiday. He was also good in the playoffs too, which is a fact about him that people don't always appreciate. He just happened to peak on his rookie contract and was washed by 30 years old.

But at his best he was a really valuable player.

[HomoSapien]

Kirk Hinrich isn't even a good comparison. If he had half the talent Reed has he wouldn't of mostly been a hard working bench player.

Kirk was a hard working bench player? For who, Team USA? Or the last 2 seasons of his career?

Prime Kirk Hinrich was a legit really good player. 36 MPG 2-way backcourt player that could guard 1-3, and play both guard positions on offense. The original Jrue Holiday. He was also good in the playoffs too, which is a fact about him that people don't always appreciate. He just happened to peak on his rookie contract and was washed by 30 years old.

But at his best he was a really valuable player.

And I'd argue that's even generous. Dude started declining at 27 and although he was sort of marketed as this all-time great Bull, we somehow were pretty okay trading him twice -- one time for a 2nd rounder and Justin Holiday.

[Jcool0]

Ok- Carlos Arroyo meets Derrick White meets …

Nah Fredette meets Hinrich is easier.

Kirk Hinrich isn't even a good comparison. If he had half the talent Reed has he wouldn't of mostly been a hard working bench player.

Kirk was a hard working bench player? For who, Team USA? Or the last 2 seasons of his career?

After the 2007 season he played in 490 games and had 289 starts. That is 201 games he came off the bench. He had a really good 4 year run with Chicago and was just okay for another 10 seasons. Which is great he had a long career, just not a very long peak.

[keobulls]

Watching his second game I thought he resembled Chris Paul the way he has that tighter/upright dribble and was getting to that elbow jumper. They are about the same size too, no?

[Jcool0]

Kirk was a hard working bench player? For who, Team USA? Or the last 2 seasons of his career?

Prime Kirk Hinrich was a legit really good player. 36 MPG 2-way backcourt player that could guard 1-3, and play both guard positions on offense. The original Jrue Holiday. He was also good in the playoffs too, which is a fact about him that people don't always appreciate. He just happened to peak on his rookie contract and was washed by 30 years old.

But at his best he was a really valuable player.

And I'd argue that's even generous. Dude started declining at 27 and although he was sort of marketed as this all-time great Bull, we somehow were pretty okay trading him twice -- one time for a 2nd rounder and Justin Holiday.

That three point record really endeared him to fans.

[MrSparkle]

I was as low as anybody on Kirk, but his value as a defender and floor organizer was starting quality. He was just a below-average scorer, especially with a hand in his face, but if he had Fredette's shooting ability, he'd be a perennial all-star (and vice versa - Jimmer couldn't defend any position, nor could he dribble as a full-time PG, so he was "position-less" in the bad/useless way). If Reed is a blend of both, then he's gonna be an all-star. I think it's a reasonable comp.

I'm not buying a CP3 comp until I see him in an NBA game. My Nash/Caruso comp *was* a joke. I'm impressed, but I'm not banking on Reed becoming a 2x MVP and all-defensive guard (in other words, perhaps the best PG in NBA history) after kicking ass at the SL.

[kodo]

Kirk is similar to Taj, they are more fan favorites for the heart & hustle more than actual #s. And both spent more time in the NBA as roleplayers than core starters, so that's how most people see them. But Kirk was excellent in his prime mid-twenties. But when you come into the NBA at 23 or 24, you don't have much of a prime before you're in roleplayer territory and that's what happened to Kirk.

Our games back then ended in the low 90s so Kirk at 16.6 ppg was actually significant for a guy whose priorities were defense then passing and lastly scoring. He was 40% 3P shooter in his better years too, also quite good for a defender back then.

When we look back on the 2020s Bulls, Caruso will also probably be remembered as a fan favorite but his stats certainly don't jump out at you.

[Ice Man]

Our games back then ended in the low 90s so Kirk at 16.6 ppg was actually significant for a guy whose priorities were defense then passing and lastly scoring. He was 40% 3P shooter in his better years too, also quite good for a defender back then.

In other words, Kirk was a pretty damned good player his first 5 years in the league -- better than most Bulls fans now remember him. He defended like hell and would score 20 points per game in today's faster-paced league. We would be excited to have a 22 year old like him on our current roster.

Another way of putting the matter is that Kirk shows up as the 8th best player in the loaded 2004 draft for his career statistics, meaning that he was higher than 8th at his peak, because as others have written he came into the league in top form but declined pretty fast.

[Muzbar]

Reed Sheppard is looking like Caruso meets Nash

I was thinking a Jimmer Fredette/Kirk Hinrich hybrid, personally.

Its okay to compare him to none white players.

It's also OK to compare him to white players that have similar games.

Would a Hinrich/Curry comparison make you feel better?