Reed Sheppard a Polarizing Prospect in 2024 NBA Draft Cycle

Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard’s stats speak for themselves, but his intangibles make him a polarizing pick.

Reed Sheppard has officially taken the college basketball world by storm in recent weeks.

The Kentucky guard’s magnum opus thus far came on Wednesday, Feb. 27, where he poured on 32 points, including a runner with less than a second on the clock to win a grindy one over Mississippi State.

Averaging 12.5 points on 54% shooting with some of the feistiest defense in the nation, he was already on plenty of maps, but Wednesday’s performances cemented him as something else altogether.

Despite his incredible production, his size at just 6-foot-2 (likely without a wingspan that will pop) is sure to make him polarizing amongst NBA Draft circles.

In Athletic writer Sam Vecenie’s most recent mock draft, he already alluded to this being the case, saying: “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.”

To this point, there’s little question about whether Sheppard is going to be a workable shooter in the NBA. Spoiler alert: he will be. On the year, he’s shooting a blistering 52% on over four attempts from beyond the arc, and his 83% free throw mark on good volume backs that up.

His shooting ability alone makes him a coveted basketball prospect, but he’s got plenty of connective attributes capable of making winning impact, too. He averages 4.4 rebounds — a fine number for an undersized guard — and 4.3 assists per game, a strong number off the bench, and something that could allude to a possibly larger role in the NBA down the line.

All this and more makes Sheppard a strong prospect capable of being selected in the lottery, or even higher if teams feel comfortable with his passing and advantage creation with the ball in his hands.

Still, as Vecenie alluded to, some scouts and entire organizations will be turned off completely by his listed height.

Regardless, Sheppard’s been a fun watch for the Wildcats this season, and should continue to be as they enter a fun March slate.

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