The 2024 NBA draft class has been preemptively pegged as one of the weaker crops in recent vintage. Some have said it could be the worst since at least 2013, although any draft that gives you Giannis Antetokounmpo can't be all bad. But that doesn't mean the players being selected won't ultimately have a positive value for their new homes.
Now, it looks like an intriguing new option has risen to the top of the heap. Reed Sheppard, a 6'3" freshman Kentucky guard, has vaulted into pole position on the latest mock draft from Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, leapfrogging ahead of French center Zaccharie Risacher, already a pro with JL Bourg. Across 31 bouts this year (five starts), he's averaging 12.7 points on .540/.526/.841 shooting splits, 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals a night for the 23-8 Wildcats.
So why does O'Connor seem so optimistic about Sheppard's outlook, despite these generally humble stats? For one thing, it seems like he passes the eye test as a bona fide future pro. We'll let O'Connor give you the full skinny:
"He might be small, but he makes a massive defensive impact with incredible instincts and quick hands. He's a nuisance on the ball who can bother any ball handler and a playmaker off of it, intercepting cross-court feeds, swiping at passing lanes, and blowing up actions by being a step ahead of screeners."
"Mentally strong. Mistakes never get him down and he has a next-play mentality. Excellent shooter with a quick, high release and deep range. Kentucky doesn't feature him off of screens, but he has the ability to shoot off of movement and his skills off the dribble are encouraging for his overall upside. If he's given any space, he's launching."
"Elite connective playmaker who dishes gorgeous outlets and kick-aheads on the break, and makes rapid decisions in the half court. Can he become a lead point guard? His ballhandling still needs to be mastered, but he has the necessary baseline handling skills with a speedy left-to-right crossover and a bag of hesitation moves. Both the poise and passing vision are there in pick-and-roll, too. He's a below-the-rim athlete, but he has soft touch using either hand and good footwork. He doesn't utilize a floater yet, but clearly has the touch to integrate it."
It might behoove us to mention here that O'Connor, like anyone else (I was convinced Dennis Smith Jr. was the best prospect in the 2017 draft class), has had some whiffs with his lottery prognostications. The most glaring moments happened when he championed 3-and-D center Mo Bamba in 2018 (he's now a deep bench reserve with the Philadelphia 76ers) and point guard Killian Hayes in 2020 (currently a man without a team after being cut by the Detroit Pistons, one of the worst clubs in league history by record). But that doesn't mean O'Connor isn't a generally excellent appraiser of NBA talent. The point was more to illustrate that no one bats 1.000 when it comes to these kinds of predictions.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Newsweek contributing writer Alex Kirschenbaum is a hoops fanatic who has managed to parlay his passion into a writing career. ... Read more
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