Thoughts on Paul Reed and Saddiq Bey

January 15^th, 2020

By Alan Lu

I decided to take the opportunity to watch Paul Reed and DePaul play against Saddiq Bey and Villanova in a Big East college basketball game that took place yesterday. DePaul was able to get out to an early lead before Villanova was able to catch up and get a seemingly comfortable lead midway through, but DePaul managed to make a series of runs throughout regulation to cut into the deficit, and Charlie Moore scored on a quick drive to the hoop to force the game to go into overtime.

From there, Villanova outlasted DePaul to earn a hard-fought, overtime victory. The standout performers in this game were Paul Reed, Charlie Moore, Collin Gillespie, Saddiq Bey, and Jermaine Samuels. Here are my thoughts on how Reed, Bey, and the other prospects fared, as well as how their games may translate to the NBA.

DePaul’s junior big man, Paul Reed played very well in his team’s overtime loss to Villanova. He excelled as an inside scorer, rebounder, and interior defender in this game, and he also did a very good job of collecting steals and blocks when he was on the court.

Reed did a good job of scoring in the post. He is an agile, fleet-footed player that possesses good footwork and shooting touch to score around the basket, as he would get deep position, and he would tend to score on turnaround jumpers. He also managed to score on a step-through move, and he also can take on the contact to draw fouls on defenders.

Plus, he excelled at scoring in transition. He has good hands to catch long passes, and Reed also runs the floor very well, as this would enable him to score often on high-flying dunks on fast breaks. Reed also managed to score on a thunderous tip slam after running to get an offensive rebound in transition once. Plus, he will also score on hustle plays, as he will crash the offensive glass, and he also managed to score on a jump hook off of a put back.

However, Reed struggled to make jumpers from outside of the paint area. He missed an off-balanced, long two-point shot after getting the ball late in the clock once, and he also missed a corner three on a separate play.

Also, Reed was quite turnover prone on offense. On the bright side, he was able to find an open shooter to get an assist, and he also will make the extra pass to keep the ball moving. Plus, Reed will also set lots of screens, as he will get open on some of those to provide scoring opportunities for his team. He also can handle the ball in the open court, as he did so once to score on a jam on the break. On the downside, Reed tended to be quite mistake-prone with the ball in his hands at times. Reed would sometimes lose the ball due to over-dribbling, as he can be too fancy when trying to make moves to the hoop. He also dropped a couple of passes, and he also committed other turnovers when posting up.

Reed did a tremendous job of rebounding the basketball. He would often chase down balls to collect boards on both ends of the floor due to possessing very good athleticism, motor, and instincts to do so. However, there was one play where he committed an over the back foul when going for a defensive rebound once.

In addition, Reed played good defense in this game. Reed is an athletic, rangy defender that showed a knack for picking off passes quickly to obtain a plethora of steals and deflections, and he also would block shots off of drives and in the post to help his team protect the paint. He would actively contest threes as well as shots around the basket to force misses, and he also managed to help tie-up an opposing ball handler to force a turnover. However, sometimes he can be late on his rotations, which can lead his team to commit fouls and allow scores. He also can tend to bite on pump fakes, as he did so once and ended up getting beat off the dribble to allow a score another time.

Overall, Paul Reed had a very good showing in his team’s narrow loss to Villanova. He is a tremendously gifted athlete that can make solid, energetic plays on both ends of the floor, and he also excelled as a low post scorer in this game. Right now, he is a talented prospect that could be a very good pick for an NBA team in the late first round range of the upcoming draft, and he could end up being a solid role player in the association.

Villanova’s 6-8 sophomore forward, Saddiq Bey also put forth a good performance in his team’s win over DePaul. He excelled at shooting and scoring the basketball, and he had a solid all-around game to help lead his team to an overtime victory.

Bey did a good job of knocking threes to provide floor spacing for his team, as he can make long-range jumpers off the catch and dribble. He also excelled as a scorer off the dribble as well as in the post. Bey managed to drive towards the baseline to score on an emphatic, two-handed dunk, and he also scored on an up and under, step-through move another time. Plus, he also showed good strength and footwork to score in the post another time.

Also, he displayed good playmaking skills. He is an unselfish player that possesses good court vision, and he would throw sharp interior passes to find open teammates around the basket to set up scores for them. Bey excelled at finding the open man to rack up assists. He did commit a couple of turnovers, as he can throw inaccurate passes that would go astray at times.

Also, Bey was able to get his fair share of boards, as he would crash the glass to help his team get some rebounds.

Plus, Bey played fairly good defense. He did a good job of deflecting passes to make it difficult for his opponents to get their passes through, and he also would contest shots out on the perimeter as well as in the paint to force misses. Plus, he also managed to successfully draw a charge when defending in the post to get a stop another time. However, he had some trouble defending opponents off the dribble, as he had some trouble guarding quicker players, and he also was late to rotate to defend in the post once, which led him to allow a score on a separate play.

In summary, Saddiq Bey played very well in this game, as he made solid plays throughout this contest and down the stretch to help his team get a narrow victory over DePaul. He is a smart, skilled player that can help his team in a variety of ways, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the late first to the second round range of the upcoming draft.

DePaul’s 5-11 junior point guard, Charlie Moore had a tremendous showing in his team’s loss to Villanova. He did a terrific job of shooting and scoring the basketball, and he played a very good all-around game when he was on the floor.

Moore really excelled at making jumpers to provide floor spacing for his team on offense. He showed a knack for making threes, as he made 5 three-pointers in this game, and he can do so off the catch or dribble. He has a lot of range on his shot, and he also used a nifty step back move that got Robinson-Earl to fall backwards before making a nifty pull-up three late in this contest.

Also, Moore showed a knack for scoring on quick drives to the basket. He has very good foot speed, and he would often go to his right to score and draw free throws. He showed the ability to get all the way to the rim to score on layups, and he also can score and draw free throws on floaters. However, he had some trouble making floaters consistently, and Moore also struggled to make his free throws when he was at the foul line.

Plus, he also displayed decent playmaking skills. More is an unselfish player that will make the extra pass to keep the ball moving, and he was able to find a cutter to notch an assist. He did a good job of finding the open man to get assists, but sometimes he would be inaccurate with his passes, which would lead him to commit some turnovers.

He also played adequate defense. Moore showed a knack for intercepting passes to get steals, and he also ran in to tie up an opposing ball handler to force another turnover. However, sometimes he would get beat off the dribble, which would cause his team to commit fouls and allow scores. Also, his lack of size made it difficult to aptly contest shots on the defensive end.

Overall, Charlie Moore played very well, as he scored 29 points, made 5 threes, and had 6 assists in his team’s overtime loss to Villanova. He is a speedy playmaker that can put up points in a hurry, and he could project into being a microwave type of scorer in the NBA. Right now, he has been flying under the radar as a draft prospect, but he could be a good find for a team at the next level.

Villanova’s 6-3 junior point guard, Collin Gillespie also had a terrific showing to help lead his team to an overtime win over DePaul. He especially thrived as a shooter, scorer, and facilitator, and he tended to make sound plays when he was on the court.

Gillespie did a great job of shooting the basketball, as he would make quick threes to provide floor spacing for his team on offense, and he also can run off ball screens to do so.   He also drew many free throws by driving hard to the hoop, and he did a very good job of making them when he was at the foul line.

He also displayed fairly good playmaking skills. Gillespie did a good job of passing off the dribble to set up scores for his teammates. He didn’t commit turnovers often, but his lone turnover came he when he was called for traveling after handling the ball once due to taking one too many steps. Defensively, he didn’t seem to do much that was too noticeable on that end. He applied considerable ball pressure to make things fairly difficult on opposing ball handlers, but he also would be undisciplined at times, as he fouled an opponent on a drive, and he also bit on a ball fake that led him to allow his man to score on a three-point shot.

Overall, Collin Gillespie put forth a very good performance in his team’s win over DePaul. He is a smart, skilled playmaker that can shoot and pass the basketball, and while he has flown under the radar as a draft prospect, he may have the skills to thrive as a backup point guard in the NBA.

Villanova’s 6-7 junior forward, Jermaine Samuels also played well in his team’s overtime win over DePaul. He excelled at attacking the basket to garner scores, and he also showed off versatile scoring skills. He played a solid all-around game to help get his team the victory.

Samuels did a very good job of scoring off the dribble and in the post. He has good strength to back his man down to score with his back to the basket, and he also excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He also has a good first step to the hoop that enables him to score and draw fouls on quick drives to the basket. Plus, he also was able to make an open, spot-up three, though he struggled to make long-range jumpers consistently.

He also passed the ball well. Samuels is an unselfish player that can pass off the dribble, and he will find the open man to collect assists for his team. He did commit one turnover, as he threw an interior pass to a teammate who had stepped out of bounds once.

He also was able to help out on the boards, as he would chase down balls to collect rebounds due to possessing good athleticism, motor, and instincts. Samuels also played very good defense. He showed a knack for collecting steals, as he can intercept passes, poke balls away, and jump on loose balls to do so. He also managed to block a shot, and he also successfully drew a charge when defending a drive. He also will fight through screens to stay with opposing ball handlers, and he also will deflect passes and contest jumpers to force misses. However, Samuels had trouble defending taller players in the post, as he would give up deep position, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Samuels had a solid showing in his team’s win over DePaul. He is an athletic, energetic swingman that can help his team in a variety of ways, and while he has flown under the radar as a draft prospect, he could end up thriving as a role player in the NBA.

Villanova’s freshman forward, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had some good moments in his team’s win over DePaul. He put forth an uneven performance, but he was able to make some highlight-reel worthy plays in this contest.

Robinson-Earl flashed the ability to score off of drives and in the post. Early on, he threw down a powerful jam off of a drive, and he also was able to score several times down low in the post. However, Robinson-Earl tended to miss too often when posting up, and he also had his shots blocked a couple of times.

He also showed a good ability to score on hustle plays. He ran he floor, and drew free throws on a drive in transition. While he missed a put back once, Robinson-Earl managed to score on a tip-in another time. He also attempted to take a long two-point shot, but he ended up missing on that occasion.

However, he was quite turnover prone on offense. For the positives, Robinson-Earl would look to find the open man on dribble handoffs to set up scoring chances for his teammates, and he also can pass out of the post. He also will set screens to help his teammates get open jump shots. He did commit several turnovers though, as he can tend to throw inaccurate passes when facing heavy ball pressure, and he also would lose the basketball when posting up, as he would sometimes rush his moves.

Robinson-Earl also did a terrific job of rebounding the basketball. He would often leap up to get numerous boards when he was on the floor, though he did commit a loose ball foul once when going for a defensive board once.

He also played adequate defense. Robinson-Earl showed a good ability to rotate to block shots around the basket, and he also leapt up to intercept a pass to get a steal on a separate play. Robinson-Earl will actively contest shots in the paint, and he also will get his hands on balls to get deflections. He also managed to contest a corner three to force a miss another time.

However, he had some trouble guarding opponents in the post, as he would give up deep position, and his opponents would also make shots over him. He also had trouble guarding shooters, as he had trouble defending them off the dribble, and he even fell over when attempting to defend against a step back move from Moore late in this game. He also would sometimes commit loose ball fouls due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Robinson-Earl is an athletic, energetic combo forward that plays hard on both sides of the ball, and he could project to be a second round prospect for the NBA. He will need to improve his jump shot, playmaking skills, and focus on the defensive end. Regardless, he may have the skills to project to be a defensive specialist at the next level, and Robinson-Earl could end up being an effective role player in the NBA.

DePaul’s freshman swingman, Romeo Weems did not have his best game, though he had some good moments at times against Villanova. He was able to run the floor to score on a fast break, he can find teammates ahead in transition to set up scores for them, and he also blocked a three-point shot.

However, he had trouble scoring on cuts to the hoop, as he would miss awkwardly on layups, and Weems also missed on a spot-up three despite being left wide open that time. He also tended to be quite foul prone, as he had trouble guarding opponents off the dribble. He also sagged too far once, which led him to allow his man to score on a three-point shot.

Overall, Weems did not play very well, as he just did not seem to be a very focused player in this game. He did not take many shots on offense nor make many of them, and he had too many lapses on the defensive end. Right now, he will need to be much more aggressive on the offensive end, and he will also need to focus on being a lockdown defender in college. Right now, he will need to stay in school to hone his game, but he could perhaps develop into a defensive specialist if he can improve his skills over time.

Villanova’s freshman guard, Bryan Antoine did not play much in this game, as he missed a spot-up three off the catch, and did not do anything else that seemed to be worthy of note. So far, Antoine has had a relatively disappointing freshman season. He will need to hone his game and improve as an overall player, but over time, he could perhaps develop into a 3 and D type of role player at the next level if he stays in school and works hard throughout his collegiate career.