At one point, The Ringer had the pride of London, Kentucky, Reed Sheppard, as their No. 1 overall prospect for the 2024 NBA Draft. It was an eyebrow-raising projection, but now it’s no longer just national writers feeling like this. Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN are reporting that multiple NBA teams have Sheppard as the No. 1 overall prospect on their big boards.
Is one of those teams the Atlanta Hawks, the organization that actually possesses the first pick in the draft? Most mock drafts would suggest not, however, there has been a ton of speculation that the Hawks are willing to package the top pick in the draft into a blockbuster trade that could also include Trae Young, as they contemplate hitting the reset button.
According to Givony:
“Sheppard measured a little bigger than expected at 6-3 in shoes while testing a 42-inch vertical leap in Chicago. He also looked like the clear-cut best shooter in the draft every time he had a ball in his hands — both at the combine and his pro day in Los Angeles this week. Several teams have said that Sheppard’s statistical profile — with his incredible scoring efficiency (56% FG%, 52% 3P%, 83% FT%) combined with his excellent steal, block and passing metrics — have him ranked as the No. 1 prospect in their draft models, something that surely has caught the attention of analytically inclined front offices, such as the Houston Rockets.”
Unlike last year (and most years, for that matter), there is no clear-cut first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Could Reed Sheppard shock the world and have his name called first, a la Anthony Bennett in 2013?
Don’t rule out the possibility.
