NBA minicamps are starting up and praise has already begun for Reed Sheppard. Earlier in the summer, fourth-year player, Jalen Green, organized a summer workout in Los Angeles for the Houston Rockets, who selected the Kentucky star with the third overall pick in the NBA draft. Now that media visits have begun, players are eager to talk about how impressed they were with Stacey Sheppard’s baby boy.
Amen Thompson, who finished had a tremendous rookie season for the Rockets last year said of Sheppard, “[He’s very poised]. [He’s] got [Steph] Curry range, so that’s the first thing you notice. Very poised player, very good guy.”
Steph Curry range? Kentucky fans could have told you that. Regardless, that is high praise to give a rookie, but if the Summer League gave fans any insight into what to expect, that may not be far from the truth. Of course, this doesn’t count his tremendous shooting showcase while he was in Lexington, hitting form 3 at a 52.1 percent clip as a freshman.
As always, Sheppard remained humble in his remarks earlier this week:
“It’s been a lot of fun being in the gym with the whole team. Some young guys, some older guys. So being able to just get in the gym and play and learn how to play with them, get a feel for the coaches, just how everything’s going to be this year, I’m super excited.”
Despite Sheppard’s efforts to downplay it, the hype around the former North Laurel standout is real. ESPN picked him to be the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year honors and sportsbooks have him and Zack Edey neck-and-neck as the best odds to take home the award.
The legend around Reed Sheppard keeps growing and yet, it may just be getting started.
Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior WriterNov 13, 2024, 10:39 PM ETCloseBaxter Holmes (@Baxter) is a senior writer for ESPN Digital and Print, focusing on the NBA. He ha
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