NBA Analyst Casts A 'Little Bit Of Doubt' For Houston Rockets Drafting Reed Sheppard

Plenty of teams within the lottery have consensus mock draft picks, with players continually seeing their ways to certain destinations based on NBA analyst projections. One of the most popular selections of the cycle has been mock drafts sending Kentucky star guard Reed Sheppard to the Houston Rockets with the No. 3 overall pick.

Sheppard is a unique talent, and his biggest strength in college basketball was his elite shotmaking ability. In 33 games in a Kentucky jersey, Sheppard shot 54 percent from the field and 52 percent on 3-pointers while averaging 12.5 points per game.

The Rockets are lacking in the floor-spacing department, which makes the Kentucky prospect an incredible fit in Houston, and he'd fit any direction the team decides to take as a franchise. The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann told Kevin O'Connor on The Draft Show of some doubt he'd heard on the pairing of Sheppard and the Rockets.

"Lately, I’ve heard a little bit of doubt cast on the Sheppard thing with the Rockets. We’ll see if that’s a smokescreen or not, but I still think they should take him," Mann explained.

The on-court fit is there, Sheppard would be an incredible locker room addition and it's hard to argue the selection overall. The Rockets, fresh off a 41-win season, have plenty of young talent to develop, and Sheppard would make that process easier with his floor-spacing ability.

Sheppard, while being among the best shotmakers and scorers in the class, is 6-foot-3, 182 pounds. He's an undersized guard who likely won't play the pure point guard position. While that might turn some away, his incredible athleticism makes up for his lack of size and will allow him to play a combo guard role at the next level.

The other options at pick No. 3 are weird fits, like pairing UConn's Donovan Clingan alongside Alperen Sengun or bringing another UConn star in Stephon Castle, a non-shooter. Sheppard feels like the correct and most likely pick for Houston in the upcoming draft.

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