Reed Sheppard Could be Next Kentucky Guard That Hits
The 2024 NBA Draft has a lot of mixed reviews and very little consensus.
This will likely lead to people leaning on crutches, narratives or situations they are more comfortable with. When taking a shot in the dark, there are few better things to bet on right now in the NBA than Kentucky guards.
Reed Sheppard could be the next in line of Kentucky guards bound to pop at the next level. Currently, the Wildcats sit 18-7, ranking in the top 20 nationally, and this is largely due to their backcourt of Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.
Sheppard is averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.4 stocks and 1.8 turnovers per game this season. The 6-foot-3 guard is shooting 52 percent from the floor, 51 percent from three and 80 percent at the line.
As one of the more efficient scorers in college, Sheppard is far from a one-trick pony. He can play on and off the ball, run an offense at a high level, create for himself and finish off scoring opportunities. There is not much that will hold him back on the offensive end.
On catch-and-shoot looks, Sheppard knocks shots down at a 52 percent clip, including a jaw-dropping 59 percent when left alone in those scenarios. Despite his size, the freshman still converts at a 58 percent clip at the cup.
The Kentucky Guard is one of the best in the country in transition when it comes to making decisions. He can fill the lane well off ball, but when the ball is in his hands in those settings he really hits another gear. Sheppard understands when to take a cross-match mismatch off the dribble, can get the ball where it needs to be in the fast break to capitalize on the number advantage and is so comfortable pulling up off the dribble (shooting 48 percent on off-dribble jumpers) that he can make you pay for not stopping the ball.
When the offense slows down, Sheppard remains in control, thriving at arguably the most important element of NBA offenses: pick-and-roll. As a ball handler in that setting, the London, Kentucky native produces 1.067 points per possession. His ability to loop around the screen then quickly get downhill keeps defenses in a reactive state and a step behind with a high-level change of pace. He rarely gets sped up, can rise up over guards if he does not draw a switch and expose big men on an island if he does.
The next step for Sheppard will be making better passes when defenses blitz him on screens, at times they can get lazy or just be tossed to no mans land, taking away the advantage for the offense. This is a skill that can easily come with time as the 19-year-old gets more repetitions, Especially watching him pass in other settings, it is clear he has the baseline skill, just needs to take a leap in this area.
Defensively, Sheppard is a net positive. While he is best when he can be an off-ball defender in a corner, it is not disastrous to see him get pulled up into pick-and-roll action. He understands how to get over screens with great angles and anticipation, a much-needed skill for a guard that can not handle a big-man screener.
The Wildcat has a unique ability to defend behind the action without fouling, using his quick hands to poke the ball free or body control in the air to jump to the side to block shots from behind, which makes him a nice recovery option for when he is beat off the dribble.
It is easy to see why the freshman guard is viewed so highly, and when you factor in Kentucky guards' reputation, Sheppard easily projects to be a top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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