The player: Reed Sheppard
The school: University of Kentucky
The position: Guard
The comp: If you genetically spliced—à la the movie ‘Splice’—Derrick White and Grayson Allen in a laboratory.
In a previous player profile I’ve mentioned two draft strategies… Teams can draft either by need or draft the best player available.
Chalk this up as the second of the two options…
Do the Grizzlies need a player like Reed Sheppard?
One could argue against it, sure. But could he be the best guy sitting there when Memphis ends up drafting? That question has a much more affirmative answer.
Why would they not need a player like Sheppard? Well look at the guard depth for starters… Ja Morant. Desmond Bane. Marcus Smart. Luke Kennard. John Konchar. Derrick Rose. Scotty Pippen Jr. Those are the guards under contract next year in Memphis.
So like I said— hard no, guard is not a position of need.
But is there a chance—when the Grizzlies’ draft—Reed is the definitive best player available? Abso-freaking–lutely.
And that’s worth looking into a little bit more—should you ask me.
Start—if you will—at Reed’s season with Kentucky last year. Why? Because it may have been one of the best shooting season’s out of rookie Wildcat… As well as one of the best all-around seasons for a rookie out of that program in…
Well, it’s up there for sure. That’s how good he was. And from a program with that kind of clout? That’s saying something.
In 33 games last year his averages were as follows… 12.5 PTS, 4.1 REB, 4.5 AST, and a whopping 2.5 STL in 28.9 minutes per game. Oh yeah…
That was with 53.6/52.1/83.1% shooting splits.
The kid shot the ball at over a fifty-percent clip last season. From inside—as well as beyond—the arc. Going even further… His true shooting percentage last year? It was 69.9%.
As a rookie his TS% was almost 70.0%. You’re aware of how elite that is right? No?
Well that 69.9%? It would rank 1st in the SEC and 5th in the entire NCAA. Between that and the level of defense he would bring to his game…
That 2.5 steals per game above? That’s nothing to sniff at either. I’m talking another 1st place finish in the SEC… With an 8th place finish in the NCAA.
We’re talking superb two-way play here.
Now you may argue that most of his appearances were off the bench, sure. Leading to matchups against far less superior basketball opponents. I guess you’d be part right…
But you’d also be part wrong. Because examine the four starts Sheppard did have. In those four starts he averaged the following…
16.8 PTS, 5.8 REB, 4.8 AST, 2.0 STL, and 1.8 BLK in 37 minutes per game.
Looks to me like Reed may have actually gotten a bit better when he started yeah? It’s like I said. You’d be part wrong.
His shooting would dip, albeit only by a little. He still managed 50.0/40.9/75.0% shooting splits. So yeah, his three-point shooting may have dipped a bit.
But he’s averaging about one more three a game when he starts. 5.5 in his starts versus a 4.4 season average. 40.9% from deep is still damn good.
And he stayed pretty damn good even when his team stumbled through the home-stretch. Which isn’t easy to do. Look no further than his final two performances before March Madness.
Start with the final game of the regular season against the University of Tennessee. In that game Sheppard exploded… He had 27 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, and a STL and BLK a piece. He did all that while sinking seven of his ten triples in his 33 min.
I’ll say it again—pretty damn good.
He would trail off in the SEC Tournament to cap off the season but still… Reed was far from a no-show. Kentucky would lose against Texas A&M in the tourney sure, but due in no part to his play.
Quite the opposite. He was a major reason the Wildcats were even in that game. Here’s how he preformed against the Aggies in the tourney…
In 32 minutes off the bench he accounted for 14 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, and 2 STL. Reed made half of his treys in that contest as well. Exactly what you would hope to see out of a bench contributor right? I know I would’ve want that on this Grizzlies team last year—I can tell you that.
Scoot ahead to March Madness and it’s a different story though… Because every single member of that Kentucky squad got cooked at the big dance. Each of them—and Sheppard was no exception.
In the upset loss to Oakland in the round of 64, Reed was an absolute dud. A borderline no-show.
3 PTS, 4 AST, and 2 STL. That’s it. On 20.0/0.0/33.3% shooting splits. That was it.
On the biggest stage of his career? Sheppard was dead on arrival.
Now, by no means do I attribute that only to him. That would be absurd. The entire team failed in the tourney. Plus, evidence suggests that Reed is a much different player than the one we saw in that game.
And the player we saw throughout the regular season for the Wildcats? That’s one that help this Memphis roster in a big way. Especially depending on the route the Grizzlies decide to go in free agency.
Depending on how the draft lottery shakes up? Well, Memphis may find themselves choosing between drafting a player they need… Or drafting the best guy on their board.
We’ll see where they land. But regardless—they may not be able to do better than one Reed Sheppard.
Photo Credit: (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
You can find Luke’s previous profile on Donovan Clingan here.