Reed Sheppard is the type of player every basketball coach wants on their team. He played like he had 5 years of experience in college, but he was only a freshman. You’ll rarely see someone his age play with the patience and mistake free style that Reed has. He also might be the most skilled player at the top of this draft. His shooting efficiency was ridiculous good, and he projected to be a really versatile shooter in the NBA as someone who can make threes off the catch and off the dribble. He also is one of the best passers in the draft. He is capable of making advanced reads without turning the ball over a lot. I think his shot creation is also really underrated. He got a lot better at creating advantages and finding holes in the defense as the season went along, and his floater has a lot of potential. Defensively he is feisty. He is a great communicator, has great hands, gets into passing lanes, and has the potential to be really tough at the point of attack. It’s really hard to find any issues with Reed Sheppard other than his lack of size, which he more than makes up for with all the little things he does. Reed is definitely one of the safest bets in this draft to have a 10+ year career because of the value he will bring on both ends of the court, and I think he may have one of the highest ceiling in this draft as well.

Shades of — Jason Kidd, Derrick White

Best team fits — San Antonio, Houston

Likes:

• If you look purely at film, it's not hard to see Sheppard is a pretty solid shooter. He may not look amazing, but he's still noticeably good from three, and showed he could shoot the mid-range as well (although it's not the shot he may be looking for). And just in case you didn't fully buy into his shooting ability from his tape; his splits are so good to where you don't really have a choice but to do so. He's a crazy 52% from three, and 83% from the line, very telling his shot will translate well into the NBA (maybe not 52% well, but still good).

• Accompanying his fantastic shooting percentages is efficient scoring and shooting, alongside him being 53% from the field. Sheppard probably has the most efficient stats I've seen from a guard yet.

• Looks like a solid finisher at the rim, he just doesn't drive enough for me to be fully sold on his finishing ability. Can get some tough takes and rarely misses in the few times he gets to the basket. If he had fewer good performances in the paint this would be a worry, but I'm fine putting it as a like with what he showed this season.

• Decent ball handler. He's not flashy, but he's effective. He's shown he can keep control of the ball through pressure. Sometimes his handle can be a little loose, but even then, he's not turning the ball over so it's not really an issue.

• Sheppard is still young, turns 20 days before draft night.

• Sheppard's passing doesn't impress me too much, but it's far from bad. He's not throwing turnovers or bad passes, but he's not throwing great passes either. His looks tend to be very basic and don't create opportunities to score, more so start up a play or get the ball to the open guy (which is fine, but I'd expect that to be the bare minimum). Not to say he can't get good looks and eye-catching throws, but it's uncommon for him to do so. I can't complain about his passing too much though, since he averaged 4.5 assists and had a great assist/turnover ratio of 2.2. If it wasn't for his efficiency, this would be a worry, but it's hard to complain if he's doing good (even if it's not too impressive to the eye).

  +

  Worries:

• Sheppard is such a confusing player defensively for me to make an opinion on. He's not bad, but he's not very good either (at least on film, will expand later). He gets blown by a lot when guarding the perimeter, and in general he's not that good of an on-ball defender. He's shown he can apply pressure well at times and that he can occasionally have pesky hands, he can pick up some steals and deflections, but I can't buy into his press that much if he struggles to prevent the drive and gets blown by as much as he does, and if he's not always providing his full attention to pressing his opponent. His off-ball defense isn't much better. His close-outs can be weak at times, and he doesn't do anything impressive. Again, he can get some steals and deflections, but it's hard to buy into his off-ball defense with him not consistently being good and not offering anything most of the time. He tends to heat up defensively at the end of the games when he needs to heat up, but he's not always putting in effort. Now, everything I just said is my opinion purely from his film. What really makes it hard for me to decide how I feel about Sheppard defensively is one specific stat, his steals. I mentioned like two times he gets steals, but I didn't know he got 2.5 per game. It does make me buy more into his defensive ability, but at the same time, why is hard to see those steals on film? Like yeah, you can see he gets steals, but it doesn't seem like he gets that amount. I still believe his issues overshadow his pros, even if it's such a big pro like this, because his stats don't fully help his case + his film doesn't make him look all that good + there's other things to mention which aren't visible on film or the stat sheet. He's fouling a bit more than I'd like, with him getting 1.9 per game. He's undersized, something I'll go more in depth on later. He's also not the strongest. His athleticism is a little questionable (also will go more in depth soon), how athletic is he really... how well can he utilize whatever athleticism he has in his defensive playing style? There are appealing aspects of his game defensively, it's hard to deny that, but I personally have too many questions and concerns to buy into his defensive prowess.

• Here's the athleticism section by the way (I did say it was going to be soon). Sheppard doesn't seem to be athletic, but his combine performances suggest otherwise. On film he did show some speed, mostly visible through defensive possessions and occasionally on offense... combine supported that with him doing okay on the agility drills. Sheppard never showed he could jump high on tape, but he was tied for 1st in the combine on the max vertical drill, and his standing vertical was good. I wouldn't rely on the thinking that his max vertical is that high though, because it's been talked about how he cheated a bit to make his max vertical higher (something about extending his arm), so it's probably not 42.0 and more like 38-39 (which is still good). I mentioned his athleticism has questions, and they mostly arise since he doesn't show his athleticism in matches. I feel like his role limits him from doing so, which makes me question if he's going to be able to show his athleticism in the NBA if he couldn't do it in college. It's also a bit hard to be swayed by his combine performances personally, because he really does not seem like an athletic player on film, but I guess he did show glimpses at times of being able to get up there, and it wasn't hard to see his speed at times, but he also cheesed one section so... can you really trust his scores?

• I think Sheppard could put on some more weight, but I don't think it's a big issue currently.

• Would be nice if he lowered his turnovers, averaged 2 per game. His assist/turnover ratio is good even with him averaging 2 turnovers though, so I can't complain really.

  +

  Dislikes:

• Not a good rebounder. Unless the ball fell right to him, he wasn't getting a board. Sheppard did at times make efforts by boxing out, but his efforts weren't impactful as they didn't help him, or his teammates, get better position for a rebound. He could get a couple of decent boards through contact, but he didn't necessarily fight for them, and that contact emerged after he got the rebound (which fell right to him in the first place), it was just him keeping a firm grasp of the ball to prevent a turnover. The stats do say he is a good rebounder though. He averaged 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 of them being defensive, which is noticeably above the average for a PG, but I'd take this stat line with a grain of salt. Sheppard is just too small and not strong enough to be effective in this aspect of the game, which transitions me to my next point...

• Sheppard is undersized. He's 6'2, which for a PG is small, and even smaller for a SG, a position Sheppard will also most likely be playing a lot.

• Sheppard doesn't move off the ball.

  +

  I knew Sheppard was good, but I didn't think he was this good. I know defense is an aspect of his game which a lot of people like, but I don't see the hype honestly. Offensively though I think he's great and super useful. Even though he's young, I feel like he should be somewhat NBA ready (still might take him a bit to adjust, but that time period of him doing so should be quicker than the ones of the other rookies). His size is a bit worrying, but maybe not to the extent others may imagine. Overall though I think Sheppard is great. I don't think he goes 1 or 2 just because he doesn't really fit with the Hawks or the Wizards, but him at 3 isn't crazy to say.

Reed Sheppard - Kentucky (PG/SG - HT: 6’2” -

- Smallish combo guard who can shoot, defend, and playmake. 
- Amazing shooter, mostly on spot ups. Super quick release.
- Not much of a shot creator for himself
- Good playmaker but maybe not a full time PG
- Gets a lot of steals but I question his quickness at the next level

• pretty limited athleticism. Does not have any pop

  • Shades of Gary Harris with more passing, Aaron Holiday with more shooting, Seth Curry with more defense, Austin Reaves with less height Range: 3 - 12

Poste(s) : PG

Âge : 19 ans

Taille : 1m85

Stats : 12.5pts, 4.1reb, 4.5ast, 2.5stl, 0.7blk

Adresse : 54%fg, 52%3pt, 83%ft

Beaucoup de mystère entoure Reed Sheppard, d'abord underdog en AAU, puis à la fac de Kentucky. Jusqu'où continuera t-il de déjouer les pronostics ? Dorénavant très attendu, il devra faire face à de nouvelles attentes en NBA, même si le fiasco de sa March Madness a légèrement remis en perspective son incroyable saison statistique. Il incarne d'ailleurs peut-être le plus grand écart entre plancher et plafond. Ne se limitant pas seulement à un rôle de shooteur en mouvement, Sheepard est capable de créer pour les autres et de driver vers le panier. En défense, malgré ses limites physiques (1m90, avec des épaules étroites), il excelle au contre et à l'interception grâce à des mains hyper précises et une lecture du jeu exceptionnelle. Alors, plutôt pile ou face ?

Reed Sheppard

[img]http://i.imgur.com/B82myfu.png[/img][/url]]()

https://youtu.be/QMYGeMbZhYY?si=TFcWk2aeONdjJN1N

He is only 6'3 but he looks like a 6'3 Klay Thompson. Best shooter in the draft and good defender. I guess the worry would be how does his defense translate to the nba at his size. But there are good short players in the nba. I believe he has too much BBIQ, motor, and fundamentals to be a bust or pass on. If we get him, his main progression should probably be shot creation and defense translating.

Reed Sheppard Scouting Report (as of January 7, 2024)

Overview:

Reed Sheppard is a 6'3", 185-pound point guard from the Kentucky Wildcats with a strong case for being a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He's known for his shooting prowess, floor generalship, and defensive tenacity, making him a well-rounded prospect who can contribute to both ends of the court.

Strengths:

Elite shooter: Sheppard boasts an elite shooting stroke, making him a consistent threat from beyond the arc. He can hit open shots with ease, both in catch-and-shoot situations and coming off screens. His ability to space the floor creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. Intelligent playmaker: While not a flashy passer, Sheppard plays with a high basketball IQ and makes smart decisions with the ball in his hands. He can orchestrate the offense efficiently, find open teammates with timely passes, and manage the game effectively. Strong defensive player: Despite his size, Sheppard is a pesky and energetic defender. He possesses good footwork, uses his length effectively, and disrupts passing lanes with active hands. His effort and hustle on defense are valuable assets. Leadership qualities: Sheppard demonstrates strong leadership potential on the court. He's a vocal leader who communicates effectively with his teammates and leads by example with his work ethic and positive attitude.

Weaknesses:

Limited athleticism: Compared to some NBA point guards, Sheppard lacks elite athleticism. This could limit his ability to finish through contact in the paint, particularly against bigger and stronger defenders. Average scorer: While he can create his own shot, Sheppard isn't a prolific scorer. He primarily focuses on facilitating for others and relies on his shooting to generate offense. He might need to improve his shot creation skills to become a consistent scorer at the NBA level. Turnover-prone: At times, Sheppard can struggle with ball security, leading to turnovers. He needs to improve his decision-making and refine his dribbling skills to reduce turnovers in the NBA's faster-paced environment.

Overall:

Reed Sheppard is a high-character prospect with a well-rounded skillset that could translate well to the NBA. His elite shooting, intelligent playmaking, and defensive hustle make him a valuable asset, especially for teams seeking a floor general who can contribute on both ends of the court. While he might not be a dominant scorer, his leadership and basketball IQ could make him a valuable piece for a team looking to build a winning culture.

Additional Notes:

Sheppard comes from a basketball lineage, with his father Jeff Sheppard having played professionally in Europe. Some scouts compare him to a young Delon Wright due to his defensive prowess, playmaking abilities, and leadership qualities, while others see him as a more offensively-oriented player like Tyus Jones. His shooting ability, leadership, and defensive tenacity make him a good fit for any team seeking a reliable point guard who can contribute immediately and grow into a key role player in the NBA. Overall, Reed Sheppard is a player to watch closely in the lead-up to the 2024 NBA Draft. He has the talent and potential to be a valuable asset for any team, and his work ethic and positive attitude suggest he is ready to contribute at the next level.

Becker select

Já falei, Guards vindo de Kentucky são sempre guards vindo de Kentucky. Dito isso, não se sabe ao certo oque Sheppard será na liga, um PG ou um SG, e isso pode atrapalhar um pouco.

Comparação: Divincenzo, Reaves, FVV