Once more, the Kentucky basketball team is preparing for the NBA Draft, with prospects predicted to finish in the top 10.
Guards Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard are anticipated to be selected early in the NBA Draft next month, adding their names to the list of first-round and lottery selections that the Wildcats have received in previous years.
As of right now, Reed Sheppard is predicted to leave the game before Dillingham, who has a far wider selection to choose from.
Their skill set is one of the reasons behind their high draft scores. Prior to the draft, both players were ranked as the “best of” all possible NBA draft selections for a particular set of talents. Neither ought to come as a shock.
The best ball handler in the 2024 class was determined to be Dillingham.
“Opponents find it challenging to stay in front of Dillingham due to his erratic handle, burst, and explosive change of gear,” ESPN Draft Insider Jonathan Givony noted. “He has a wide array of elusive moves at his disposal, including herky-jerky crossovers, double crossovers, in-and-out dribbles, behind-the-back dribbles and more, which he combines with sharp changes of speed, accelerating from slow to fast with either hand to take the paint and finish with touch around the rim.”
Dillingham’s ability to handle the ball and dismantle opponents has made him a perennial “highlight play” sort of guard. He should be able to succeed in the open spaces the NBA offers because to his tight handling and deftness with the ball in his hands.
It should come as no surprise that Sheppard, his running back, was rated the best spot-up shooter.
In his lone season at Kentucky, Sheppard hit 52.1 percent from three-point range.
“Sheppard gave defenses headaches at Kentucky with absurdly consistent shot-making prowess, hitting 56 of his 109 catch-and-shoot attempts (per Synergy) and shooting 51.4% on the season from long range,” Jeremy Woo, an ESPN NBA Draft analyst, said. “His lower-body balance and shot-preparation habits are excellent, and his compact and consistent release with little dip and wasted motion gives him a high-level skill that should translate to NBA range.”
His ceiling is determined by how much he can develop his handler skills, which makes it easier for him to enter a role because of his ability to space the floor away from the ball. However, he has a very respectable shooting profile that might enable him to provide a greater off-ball danger in some situations.”
On ESPN’s Big Board, Sheppard is now ranked fourth overall, while Dillingham is ranked seventh.
These two guards from Kentucky are obviously very skilled. But above all, they elevate highly specialized skill sets that will be extremely beneficial to any NBA team, making them indispensable.
On June 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET, the 2024 NBA Draft’s first round will take place.
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