There's no other way to say it. Kentucky's Reid Shepard simply didn't perform well in his team's March Madness loss to Oakland.
Fans probably shouldn't have been too surprised by the win, but Shepard's poor performance was a little more shocking. He finished with just three points (1-of-5 FG) and several turnovers in 26 minutes. It was probably his worst game played in college.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari was no match for the zone defense against Oakland University's backcourt.that stopped Shepard and his teammate Rob Dillingham. It hasn't been able to gain much traction so far.
Obviously, the prospect, who was recently projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, performed pretty badly in the elimination game.However, even if That prediction was a bit ambitious and aggressivethis wasn't the kind of game that would make teams reconsider their evaluation of Shepard.
Part of scouting is knowing what's real and what's not in high-end/low-end games. That's why I'm not going to adjust the board because of that, and I don't think anyone building the board will either, given how many other Reed vs. Shepherd + Kentucky games I've seen so far. You shouldn't.Mute overreactions from first-time viewers
— Rich (@MavsDraft) March 22, 2024
The reality is, when it comes to standout Kentucky freshmen, evaluators need to look at far more data points than just one game. This was probably the first time many fans got a glimpse of him playing, but he's someone NBA teams have studied in much larger sample sizes.
Sheppard averaged 15.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.1 steals per 36 minutes as a freshman. He shot 53.6 percent from the field, 52.1 percent from 3-point range and 83.1 percent from the free throw line. His versatility and productivity are undeniable.
According to Bart Tolik, since 2008, among freshmen listed as 6-foot-5 or shorter, the only players who performed better in the catch-all metric box plus-minus were James Harden and D'Angelo. He says it's Russell.
When playing in a set offense, Shepard remained one of the most talented players in college basketball. His catch-and-shoot jumper not only makes him an elite threat when playing off the ball, but he also manages to fill up the stat sheet in other meaningful ways.
Shepard probably doesn't have the size or athleticism to really make a case for being one of the first few names called in the 2024 NBA Draft. But he can shoot as well from long range in the NBA as any prospect in the country.
Maybe the team is more weary of selecting Shepard with the first few picks in this class. But, especially in a draft filled with uncertainty, virtually every prospect ends up having some negative traits listed on their scouting report.
If Shepard declares for the 2024 NBA Draft and decides to stay (which he probably will and should), Shepard's trajectory will be about the same as it was before his dud against Oakland. It seems like it will happen. Remember: This is the same player who led Tennessee to 27 points earlier this month.
He generally did well against top opponents, and although March Madness didn't go well, his resume is still strong enough to earn him lottery consideration.
As long as he performs well in the pre-draft process and impresses during interviews, workouts and measurements, Shepard's draft stock should look exactly the same as it did last week. Now he has added motivation and shoulder strength.
