ESPN released its final list of the top 100 prospects for the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Kentucky Wildcats were a strong contender. The Cats had a total of five players on the list, with only two of them, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, making it into the top 30.
The list has gone through multiple revisions, with the only major change being Justin Edwards, who dropped from 31st to 39th.
Dillingham, arguably the best ball-handling guard in the draft, also dropped from No. 7 to No. 8. Shepard remained at No. 4. Antonio Reeves moved up from No. 60 to No. 54 and Tre Mitchell moved up from No. 83 to No. 85.
With that said, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Wu have broken down the pros and cons of each candidate and given their verdict.
The sentence for Shepherd is as follows:
“Shepard is coming off an excellent season in which he shot the ball extremely well both off the catch and off the dribble, produced a ton of steals and blocks despite his limited height, and put up efficient numbers in just about every category in between. It will be interesting to see how effective Shepard's unique combination of skill, feel and instincts translates at the NBA level,” they wrote.
Although we won't go into the details here, the Dillingham decision is also worth noting.
“Long known at the high school level for his ability to get going quickly, Dillingham backed that up in his lone season in the SEC with efficient perimeter shot-making and solid decision-making as a passer and scorer. Even if he faces struggles defensively, his offensive talents give him more star power than any other prospect in this class,” they said.
Overall, there weren't many changes among the Cats' five, but perhaps the most interesting move was seeing Dillingham drop in the rankings after being overtaken by Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht.
The Cats should land at least three players in the draft, and adding Edwards would give Kentucky an elite trio that could be introduced to the NBA as potential stars in just a few days.
The 2024 NBA Draft will be held at the Barclays Center in New York City.
