Former Kentucky standout Reed Sheppard is a “polarizing” option on NBA draft boards, according to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.
Vecenie predicts Sheppard going to the Houston Rockets with the No. 3 pick of the upcoming draft, but noted other teams might balk at the 6-foot-2 guard’s stature.
“His stock is polarizing among teams, with more analytically inclined organizations seeing him as a No. 1 pick contender and others viewing him more as a late lottery pick due to his lack of size,” Vecenie wrote.
Sheppard became a key part of John Calipari’s roster during his freshman 2023-24 season as he averaged 12.5 points through 33 games on 53.6 percent shooting from the field.
He led the nation shooting 52.1 percent from deep on 4.4 attempts per game, and he ranked top 10 in the nation in true shooting percentage, designed to measure a player’s shooting efficiency.
Sheppard also led the team with 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals while notching 0.7 blocks per game despite his height, which made him one of the nine shortest players invited to the NBA scouting combine— although he also leapt 42.0 inches to tie for the highest max vertical leap at the event.
In addition to his high shooting efficiency, Sheppard also established himself as a playmaker in his single season at Kentucky. Vecenie wrote that he “thinks the game at an elite level and quickly moves the ball to get everyone involved.”
Like Vecenie, Jonathan Wasserman projected Sheppard going to the Rockets with the No. 3 pick in his latest mock draft for Bleacher Report. Wasserman predicted he would remain on top of the draft based on his “elite shooting, passing and intangibles/character that scouts and executives praised after interviewing him at the NBA combine.”
Despite what Vecenie described as some team’s doubt about his ability to succeed in the NBA as an undersized guard, it seems likely that enough franchises have Sheppard positioned highly enough on their draft boards to make him one of the top players selected on June 26.
