A Limited Case for Jamal Shead

Just a disclaimer off the bat, I don’t think anyone is discrediting Jamal Shead. I don’t think is questioning him as the probable Big 12 Player of the Year. There seems to be no chatter suggesting he doesn’t live up to the hype by Jon Rothstein and Evan Miya. If anything, I’m writing this to further cement the affection I have for Jamal Shead. And with UH now winning the Big 12, if felt appropriate to write an ode to UH’s leading man, who has played his last game at home. (Note: I’d written most of this when he won Big 12 Player and Defensive Player of the Year, so please forgive me if something is outdated).

The idea for the blog began as every single Moon Stamp blog I write does – purely based on situational vibes. And it really was two situations. First, was the Oklahoma game. In that game, I watched Jamal Shead hobble his way to carrying a team destined to lose in a hostile gym of cowards (enjoy Vanderbilt away). The second situation occurred when I decided to look up the 2024 NBA Draft projections. Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Shead should be going number one. If anything, it would be ludicrous for him to scratch the top 15, with players coming in from foreign leagues, and college players who have been drawing 5-star eyes since their 6’4 middle school days.

I would mention the G-League, but the old head in me (has anyone watched Bulls v. Pistons games? One of you elders was lying) refuses to acknowledge college with somehow less classwork.

But after scrounging around a couple page 2 Google results, and still seeing the endless parade of Zach Edey’s and Kyle Filipowski’s, it did all feel so tiresome. Again, I’m not here to stay that Jamal Shead is an NBA talent. I’m not even an NBA fan. The extent of my NBA viewership is throwing on the Clippers v. Bucks, getting mad at Daryl Morey, and flipping to whatever monstrosity FS1 has on at the hour. This isn’t a blog meant to make the case for Jamal Shead in the NBA; I’m very unqualified for that. This isn’t a blog meant to advocate for really any material thing. At its heart, this is a blog meant to make the case for the idea of Jamal Shead, as his regular tenure for UH most likely comes to an end. I also don’t fathom I can write a complete case for Shead, so I’m going to focus on a ferw limiting factors.

The Houston Defense

I’m not going to spend much time talking about Shead’s offensive contributions. Sure, he’s probably the offensive star of the team, but that’s like being the prettiest member of the Whittaker family. With that out of the way, I do want to highlight two of my favorite moments from Shead, both offensive.

First, last year when he put the dagger into Houston’s biggest basketball AAC rival – Memphis. It was also just elevated by the fact Jim Nantz was there on the call. Also, I just really enjoy watching Memphis fans just deflate.

The second is the last second shot Shead hit against Oklahoma. Not only is it cool because Shead gets his own rebound, but also because the dog mascot is distraught.

I also would be remised if I didn’t mention his stat line against Texas Tech this season, hitting 29 points, handing out 10 assists, and shooting 67pc from three. But, this isn’t about his offensive stats.

What I really wanted to highlight, in this limited time, is Shead’s defensive contributions. This shouldn’t be all that surprising for a player who was named the 2023 AAC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also on the Kelvin Sampson has repeatedly talked about how he creates a culture at Houston. The videos of the rebound drill alone should be enough to convince even a Kansas fan that the Houston team is different because it is crafted differently. There is no one more exemplary of that than Jamal Shead and his time at the University of Houston.

I could go stat-by-stat, but that isn’t really indicative of Shead’s play. I’m also not a film breakdown guy. I love watching the games and saying what I’m watching. Like how Shead is the main point of attack on defense. Does this mean a lot, because he’s our main guard? Sure, but being that first line of defense is like being the bagholder for the first football practice of the season. Shead is the first guy there, the guy running the defense, and is especially sneaky when trying to throw an incoming guard off of the play, whether drawn up or mental.

He’s also a pest to the offense. He’s moving – he’s disrupting passing lanes, he’s cutting guys off, and he’s inserting himself into positions that just generally annoy the offense. He’s a pest, he’s a disruptor, and he is genuinely the best defensive guard in the country. But, you have to watch him to see this. His on-ball and off-ball defensive is smooth.

His defensive shortcomings really stem from the fact that he is, well, short (he is 4 inches taller than me). Unless he’s willing to get that one surgery, he’s going to stay at 6’1. If he does get that surgery, he will never be able to jump again. So it’s really a lose-lose.

I am an advanced metrics guy, though.

I don’t know how many baseball fans read this blog, but I love WAR. I will contextualize every player in terms of WAR, even if I am comparing Cubs-era Jose Abreu to Patches O’Houlihan. If you don’t know what WAR is, you’re happier than me and living a much better life. But, in essence, it’s just how valuable a player is to their team – the Wins Above Replacement. I say this all to bring up Evan Miya’s college player ratings.

As I’ve mentioned, Jamal Shead is not going in the first round of the draft, and isn’t usually on those best college players lists. Which is why it is incredibly surprising to find him as number 3 on Evan Miya’s rankings. Why is he there? Because Evan Miya rests his rankings on performance value, or, more simply, the impact of the player. The defensive impact metric is described as such:

DBPR: Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating reflects the defensive value a player brings to his team when he is on the court. This rating incorporates a player’s individual efficiency stats and on-court play-by-play impact, and also accounts for the defensive strength of other teammates on the floor with him, along with the offensive strength of the opponent’s players on the floor. DBPR is interpreted as the number of defensive points per 100 possessions better than (below) D1 average expected to be allowed by the player’s team if the player were on the court with 9 other average players. A higher rating is better.

And Jamal Shead’s impact is so much, according to Evan Miya’s numbers, he is the top defensive impact player in the country. Out of the some 3,000 college basketball players, Shead is the most impactful player. Look at the who’s who of the top 10.

In the top 10, Shead is almost like the odd man out. Not that he doesn’t deserve to be there (he does), just Tyler Kolek is a first round pick, Kyle Filipowski is a first round ISIS pick, and Zach Edey is living his best retirement life. And look at that defensive rating. Last time I saw something that high, I was researching Mac Jones’ career earnings from Mac Jones Nissan, coming to Jacksonville in three years.

Undesirable to Undeniable

Shead, for all the love I have for him, is not going in the first round of the NBA draft. He probably won’t even be drafted, maybe taking the G League route. Maybe he’ll have a stop in Greece or some other country where soccer clubs have basketball affiliates. Looking at him on paper, if I was a scout, a 6’1, mid-rated shooter, who stayed the entire time in college – there are no cartoonish lightbulbs popping up above my head.

Jamal Shead was not highly recruited out of high school. He got 5 offers from schools, including UH, that weren’t world beaters (at least at the time). While his first season was wholly unremarkable, it was his sophomore year where the coal was turned into a diamond. With Sasser and Tramon Mark hurt, Shead was cast to play the role of leading man. And, I don’t really need to describe what happened because I wouldn’t be writing this. Or maybe I would, but it would be a lot of advanced metrics and the biggest leaps (I can do it, though).

Now, we’re here with the best player in the Big 12 leading the number one team in the country. And I’m not here to beg someone to take a chance based on intangibles, but I vaguely am. Because Jamal Shead is full of those intangibles. If you have time, just go ahead and read this piece from Emanuel Sharp about the leader Jamal Shead is. And then there’s the time he picked up trash.

The story of Jamal Shead is showing everyone his worth when no one wanted to watch. It’s pride-inducing to watch him shine. Again, I’m not begging anyone to draft him first, because that’s for Zach Edey or another guy from France. But, he has forced his way from undesirable to undeniable. And I’d like him to continue to get the shots he deserves.

Follow Moon Stamp Sports on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook, and follow Jorden on Twitter/X.