Reed Sheppard proved at the NBA Combine that he was more athletic than many believed. (UK Athletics Photo)
The NBA Draft starts Wednesday and the Consensus Mock Draft, a compilation of the best mock drafts, has Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard going third overall to Houston.
It also has another Kentucky guard, Rob Dillingham, going late in the draft lottery.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called Sheppard the “best shooter in the draft” who put up shooting percentage numbers last season that the veteran analyst had never seen. He knows shooting over 50 percent from 3 and being a knockdown free throw shooter has impressed a lot of teams.
“He’s good defensively. I feel like this coaching staff at Kentucky at the time probably preferred he spent more time on man (to man) duties rather than playing a free safety but he is practically guaranteed two steals per game,” Bilas said.
“He’s a really good passer and can play the point. He also proved at the combine that he was way more athletic than people think.”
Bilas said Sheppard not only had some athletic dunks in games but also hit game-winning plays that showcased his athleticism.
“I think he is going to translate very well to the NBA because of that shooting piece and he can handle and pass it well,” Bilas said.
Bilas compared Sheppard to Kyle Korver, a second round pick in 2003 who played in the NBA until 2020 and ranks among the most prolific 3-point shooters in NBA history.
“He was not able to drive around people coming out of Creighton and did well in the league for like 15 years,” Bilas said. “Reed is going to stretch zone defenses and is also a really good cutter playing off the ball. I like him a lot.”
Another ESPN analyst, Fran Fraschilla, really likes Dillingham and posted on social media he was “inch for inch the most skilled player” in this draft and compared his handle to NBA star Kyrie Irving.
“He shoots 44 percent from 3 and will never be afraid of the big moment,” Fraschilla posted.
8 Responses
Too bad the fraud was not able to see the talent
Perhaps the fraud was simply unwilling to use the talent
In either case, this instance alone proves his fraud on the BBN
The fraud said he was the king. He is mentally unstable.
The fraud said draft day in 2010 was the greatest day in UK history. He is delusional.
The fraud is a hog.
Sad to say I will probably never watch Sheppard or Dillingham again. If I’m bored with nothing to do I still don’t watch the NBA. What’s crazy is I watch every NCAA game that’s on TV. To me the NBA is boring your starting to hear more and more NBA players especially the ones that attended Kentucky say they wish they would have stayed another year or 2 even John Wall who went first in the draft
Cousins said he wish they would have all came back and won a national championship. Willy Cauley Stein said he begged Cal to come back his senior season and basically Cal pushed him out the door for his next freshman class. I wonder how many kids would have came back if Cal didn’t basically push them out the door. I know Ulis was going to come back to and Cal asked him what else do you need to accomplish? A championship duhhhhh.
Yes, the fraud is now a hog, and I can’t wait for the SEC Network to televise his first calling of the hogs. It will be a fitting ending of this sordid chapter of UK basketball history.
As for pushing players out the door, he pushed some out even though they wanted to stay. He pushed good players, who needed playing time and development to other programs where these players thrived. He allowed players (in name only) use the UK program without ever playing a single minute in a UK uniform. He never acted in the best interests of the UK program.
Not even in 2010. Not even in 2012. And it became crystal clear at the end of the 2015 season. Everything that happened after that was simply a dance that would have ended poorly for the BBN.
He’s just toxic.
THE TOXIC FRAUD is a master CON.
He conned players into coming to UK knowing they would sit at the end of the bench watching the PET brigade dominate the minutes regardless of how poorly, how selfish or how ridiculous they played or looked.
I sincerely hope for and look for the day when a lot of former UK players join together with some very sharp lawyers and sue the arrogant lying HOG for $100 Million of lost pay because he lied and cheated and held them back instead of letting them play.
When the soul is sold out to any personal agenda or unrighteous plan, the term to describe it is harsh. Evil may well be the definition of such.