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Kentucky lands 2 players in top 20 of ESPN’s latest NBA Draft big board
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Kentucky’s run of NBA Draft success should continue into 2024 with Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard topping the list of the Wildcats’ drospects.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony released his list of the top 25 players on his draft board, with Dillingham landing squarely into lottery territory at No. 7. The freshman has averaged 14.3 points and 4.5 assists through 12 games and averaged 23.5 minutes for the Wildcats ahead of conference play.
“While not gifted with great size, Dillingham changes speeds and creates off the dribble as well as anyone in this draft class, and he has shown maturity in his adjustment to college basketball coming from Overtime Elite’s more wide-open league,” Givony wrote. “Dillingham’s passing and decision-making has been solid, and he’s shooting well from deep thus far.”
As for Shepard, he has logged 26.3 minutes, 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists a game, and is ranked No. 16 by Givony, who called the freshman “the biggest surprise of the NBA draft cycle by far”.
“Sheppard has played an essential role in Kentucky’s transformation into one of the fastest-paced offenses in college basketball,” he added. “He has emerged as arguably the best shooter in the class, shooting 28-for-50 from 3 (56%) through 12 games, while showing high-level pace and court vision whipping passes all over the floor with his terrific feel for the game.”
After a home loss to UNC Wilmington, the 6th-ranked Wildcats have won their last 4 games, including a 96-70 victory over Illinois State on Friday. They open SEC play against Florida on Saturday.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
