Former Kentucky star Rajon Rondo is back on campus to earn his degree. He got plenty of chances to watch Reed Sheppard play for the Wildcats.
Rondo, who confirmed his retirement during an All The Smoke podcast appearance, discussed the Kentucky guard. The four-time NBA All-Star told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that he advised his AAU players to study how Sheppard “controls the game.”
“He knows the game,” Rondo said of Sheppard (h/t On3). “He’s always in the right spot. He’s not the most athletic. He’s not the fastest, but his IQ — he’s able to manipulate the game. Now some [people think] he’s the No. 1 [draft] pick in the game. That’s all IQ and the way he shoots the basketball. I’ve seen him work. They have some stuff down there at Kentucky.”
Despite spending most of his freshman season on the bench, Sheppard impressed scouts enough to be considered a potential high lottery pick if he declares for this year’s NBA Draft.
Sheppard, the son of former Kentucky stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed, averaged 12.5 points per game with an SEC-leading .699 true-shooting percentage. He made 75 of 144 three-point attempts.
The newly named National Freshman of the Year also led the conference with 2.5 steals per game. Sheppard fell five steals shy of matching Rondo’s single-season school record (87) set in 2004-05.
Sheppard also registered 4.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest. Although he settled for just three points in a first-round NCAA tournament upset to Oakland, the 19-year-old’s future looks bright.