One NBA Draft Prospect Detroit Pistons Should Keep Close Eye on

Detroit Pistons should have Reed Sheppard near the top of their draft board.
Mar 15, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard (15) drives down the lane
Mar 15, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard (15) drives down the lane / Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
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For the third year in a row, the Detroit Pistons find themselves with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft. While this class has been labeled as lackluster, there are still more than a handful of promising prospects in the group.

Now that the Pistons know where they are picking, they can begin creating a list of realistic prospects that will be in their draft range. Even though he isn't a flashy player, there is one name that should be on their board.

The Detroit Pistons should be keeping a close eye on Reed Sheppard

Among the prospects projecting to go in the lottery is Reed Sheppard. He is a 6-foot-3 guard who spent the past year playing at Kentucky. In his lone college season, Sheppard posted averages of 12.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 4.5 APG.

Sheppard might be a slightly undersized guard, but one thing he does extremely well is shoot from beyond the arc. At Kentucky, he shot a stellar 52.1% from three-point range on four-and-a-half attempts per game.

While showcasing his talents at the NBA Draft combine, Sheppard put his shooting prowess on fully display:

Seeing that the Pistons were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA last season, drafting a player like Sheppard is a no-brainer. He fills a key area of need, and is someone who could easily play alongside Cade Cunningham in the backcourt. If Detroit were to walk away with Sheppard on draft night, they'd have a pair of young sharpshooting combo-guards in him and Marcus Sasser.

Looking at mock drafts, the Pistons might need some luck to have a shot at Sheppard. He's been scattered all over the top ten, going as high as No. 3 in some cases. Due to his complementary style of play, Sheppard should undoubtably be a prospect Detroit is monitoring heavily.


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