With the 1st round of the NBA Draft set for Wednesday night, I decided to take a look at some of the SEC's top prospects. While it is unlikely that the conference will have a player go No. 1 overall (even though there is not a consensus top player), I believe that the SEC will have three lottery (top-14) picks, and that all three provide a lot of intrigue. With that being said, here is a breakdown of those three players:
Which SEC players will be lottery picks in the 2024 NBA Draft?
Reed Sheppard (Guard - Kentucky)
Sheppard will likely be one of the top two college players off the board, alongside UConn's Donovan Clingan. Sheppard is the top 3-point shooter in the draft, which is a valuable commodity in today's NBA. He was also a strong defender at Kentucky, although it is up in the air whether that will translate to the NBA.
Nevertheless, in a draft short on "Franchise Player" level talent/potential, Sheppard projects as a top draft pick due to his relatively high floor (due to his shooting), plus the potential for him to develop into a strong overall player (with the defensive potential, plus some potential as a ball-handler).
In his SEC Freshman of the Year Award winning season this year, Sheppard averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.5 SPG on 53.6% shooting and a phenomenal 52.1% three-point shooting percentage.
While his size could be an issue at the next level (6'3, 190), especially if he ends up playing shooting guard, I think Sheppard will be a strong NBA player. It feels like Sheppard has a solid floor of a strong 3-point shooter in the NBA, and then if he develops as a ball-handler or if the defense does in fact translate then he could reach even higher heights.
I believe Sheppard will go anywhere between picks 3 and 6.