After back-to-back international players were selected No. 1 and No. 1 at the 2024 NBA Draft, Kentucky Wildcats product Reed Sheppard became the first NCAA player to hear his name, with the Houston Rockets making him the third pick overall. Sheppard’s entry into the NBA also means that the rest of the league has another Wildcat to watch out for.
Another former Kentucky star in the form of Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns, however, was simply happy to see another Lexington baller land in the big leagues.
In an Instagram Story post, Towns seemed to welcome Sheppard to the NBA.
Karl-Anthony Towns showing some love to a fellow Wildcat. pic.twitter.com/tI230mfqlk
— Don March (@ItsAlwaysMarch) June 27, 2024
Houston Rockets get a knockdown shooter in former Kentucky Wildcats star Reed Sheppard
Sheppard played in only one season with Kentucky, but his body of work at the college level was enough for him to be taken high at the draft. In 33 games with the Wildcats, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. His biggest asset is his outside shooting. He was almost automatic from deep in the last college basketball season where he knocked down 2.3 of his 4.4 3-point attempts per game for a ridiculously good 52.1 percent success rate from behind the arc.
The Rockets could certainly use some of Sheppard’s shooting after Houston ranked in the bottom half of the NBA last season in terms of 3-point percentage and effective field-goal percentage.
Sheppard will now be part of Houston’s promising young bunch that also features the likes of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith.
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