2024 Draft Prospect Spotlight -- Reed Sheppard

His warts as a freshman are beginning to show a bit.

He does remind me of Tyrese Haliburton at this point.
He's hyper efficient.
The analytics love him.
He's a bit underwhelming using the eye test alone.

If he falls out of the top-6, he's a catch. particularly in a weak draft like this. Even if he doesn't fit next to Trae Young, get him in here and figure out the rest later.

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Post #32 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Feb 15, 2024 4:19 pm

If Trae isn't going to be here long term, this is the kid I'd like to replace him. Not a pure pG, but he has the efficiency and intangibles of a star in line with Ty Haliburton.

He just says and does the right things all the time. That'd be a nice departure from the rollercoaster that is TY.

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Post #33 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Feb 15, 2024 5:57 pm

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Post #34 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 6:58 pm

Sam Vecenie wrote:Reed Sheppard | 6-3 guard | 20 years old | Kentucky

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Sheppard and his teammate Rob Dillingham (more on him below) are the two most polarizing players for scouts right now.

With Sheppard, it’s easy to understand why. As a 6-3 player without much length or the kind of athletic traits that raise a guard to this level, Sheppard doesn’t look like the typical lottery pick. But I think he has a real case for being one of the five best players in the country as a freshman, and I’d certainly consider him an All-American in some capacity. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 52.6 percent from the field, 51.4 percent from 3 and 80.8 percent from the line. He racks up 2.6 steals per game on top of averaging nearly one block per game. His closeouts on shooters are textbook and disruptive.

Offensively, he’s potent leading the break in transition or delivering hit-ahead passes to get his teammates involved. When combined with his elite shooting, Sheppard is one of the best connective players in this draft class. Defensively, he’s an impactful playmaker, but has some off-ball lapses that can cause issues for Kentucky. On the ball, he’s excellent at staying in front of guards, but his size can be exploited on mismatches size-wise.

Sheppard presents a fascinating argument. Do you believe in his remarkable feel for the game and high skill level, or do you worry too much about his physical deficiencies? Given the success of other supposed “skill-first” guys across the league, such as Jalen Brunson, Brandin Podziemski, Desmond Bane and others, I buy into Sheppard’s positives more than I fret about his negatives.

His range is all over the map. I get individual evaluators working for NBA teams who rate him as a top-five player, and I just as often hear some who believe he shouldn’t be picked in top 25. In the end, I think Sheppard’s name will end being called in the lottery. Too many people who work for NBA teams love his game.

The Athletic

King Ken · Post #35 » by **King Ken** » Wed Feb 21, 2024 1:37 am

Jamaaliver wrote:
Sam Vecenie wrote:Reed Sheppard | 6-3 guard | 20 years old | Kentucky

Watch on YouTube

Sheppard and his teammate Rob Dillingham (more on him below) are the two most polarizing players for scouts right now.

With Sheppard, it’s easy to understand why. As a 6-3 player without much length or the kind of athletic traits that raise a guard to this level, Sheppard doesn’t look like the typical lottery pick. But I think he has a real case for being one of the five best players in the country as a freshman, and I’d certainly consider him an All-American in some capacity. He’s averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 52.6 percent from the field, 51.4 percent from 3 and 80.8 percent from the line. He racks up 2.6 steals per game on top of averaging nearly one block per game. His closeouts on shooters are textbook and disruptive.

Offensively, he’s potent leading the break in transition or delivering hit-ahead passes to get his teammates involved. When combined with his elite shooting, Sheppard is one of the best connective players in this draft class. Defensively, he’s an impactful playmaker, but has some off-ball lapses that can cause issues for Kentucky. On the ball, he’s excellent at staying in front of guards, but his size can be exploited on mismatches size-wise.

Sheppard presents a fascinating argument. Do you believe in his remarkable feel for the game and high skill level, or do you worry too much about his physical deficiencies? Given the success of other supposed “skill-first” guys across the league, such as Jalen Brunson, Brandin Podziemski, Desmond Bane and others, I buy into Sheppard’s positives more than I fret about his negatives.

His range is all over the map. I get individual evaluators working for NBA teams who rate him as a top-five player, and I just as often hear some who believe he shouldn’t be picked in top 25. In the end, I think Sheppard’s name will end being called in the lottery. Too many people who work for NBA teams love his game.
The Athletic