Reed Sheppard is skyrocketing up NBA Draft boards.
Although he’s made just five starts, the freshman has opened plenty of eyes at Kentucky. A prominent ESPN analyst appears to like what he sees from the guard.
Jonathan Givony moved Sheppard up to No. 5 in his updated rankings of potential 2024 draft prospects. He’s behind Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Kentucky teammate Rob Dillingham, and Nikola Topić.
“Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard made a big jump into the top five of our draft projections on the back of several signature moments in SEC play,” Givony wrote on social media. “He’s cementing his case as the best freshman in the college game with improved PNR playmaking and historically great 3-point shooting.”
Sheppard has made 62 of his 110 three-point attempts, giving him a higher conversion rate (51.7 percent) than any qualified Division I player. He has the SEC’s best true shooting percentage (69.3).
The son of former Wildcats basketball stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed also leads the SEC in steals (76) while averaging 12.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. Sheppard tallied a career-high 32 points in a Feb. 27 win over a Mississippi State squad coached by Kentucky alum Scott Padgett.
Sheppard may be sharpening his case as a lottery pick, but that’s assuming he declares for the draft. Padgett, who played alongside Jeff Sheppard, told The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker he’d be “shocked” if the 19-year-old left Kentucky after one year.
“They are such a close, close, close family, and Reed has lived his whole life in London and Lexington, so I don’t know that there’s a real rush to get out of there unless you’re 100 percent ready,” Padgett said. “Plus, if he comes back, he’s a rock star. He’s Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. In that state, he would be that.”
Reed Sheppard will first look to validate Givony’s top-five label in March.