Draft Preview: Raptors Should Consider Kentucky's Reed Sheppard

The Toronto Raptors may want to consider selecting Kentucky's Reed Sheppard if the organization keeps its top-six protected pick in the NBA Draft

Feb 27, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard (15) / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

There was nothing Mississippi State could do.

Reed Sheppard had burned the Bulldogs one too many times. They knew any amount of space behind the three-point line would be enough for Kentucky’s freshman guard to get a shot off. It’s why the 6-foot-10 KeShawn Murphy stepped out to the perimeter as the final seconds wound down in Starkville.

But Shappard isn’t just a three-point shooter.

The 6-foot-3 guard took a dribble to his left and then started downhill, driving past Murphy before lofting the game-winning floater from the free-throw line through the hoop.

That’s what makes Sheppard such an intriguing prospect in this year’s NBA draft and the type of player the Toronto Raptors may consider selecting if the organization retains its top-six protected pick in this year's draft.

“Reed is an intriguing player because of his ability to run an offense and shoot the ball,” said Andrew Stefaniak who covers Kentucky basketball for Wildcats Today. “Percentage-wise, Sheppard was one of the best shooters we have seen in college hoops in a long time.”

That’s why Mississippi State took that one step out of position, afraid of Sheppard’s 52.1% three-point stroke. The 19-year-old is a marksman on catch-and-shoot looks and showed an impressive ability to nail pull-up threes at the college level, averaging 2.3 three-pointers made and 12.5 points per game as a freshman.

For a team like the Raptors, that’s enough to get excited about. Toronto ranked 26th in the NBA in three-pointers made this past season and was 27th in three-point percentage. That’s simply not going to cut it in the modern NBA.

But there are reasons to be worried about Sheppard too.

His height is a serious red flag for a player who ideally fits as an off-ball player working alongside another point guard. A backcourt, for example, with Immanuel Quickley and Sheppard together is probably too small to hang in defensively.

Sheppard does make up for his lack of height with quick hands and an impressive defensive IQ. He averaged 2.5 steals per game this year, but asking him to hold his own against opposing wings at the NBA level may be too much to expect from a player listed at 187 pounds.

Toronto could make him a backup point guard, the kind the organization desperately needs, but Sheppard isn’t quite enough of a playmaker to take the reins of an offense right now.

Considering how small the Raptors were this past season, it would be tough to fit a player like Sheppard into the fold without significantly compromising the team’s defense. But Toronto has made it clear the organization wants to take the best player available regardless of fit.

In the top six, that could be Sheppard.

Toronto took the best shooter in last year’s draft class and doubling down on three-point talent is rarely a bad idea.