Not many would call the 2024 NBA draft class one of the most outstanding ones. However, there are still a few players who have shocked many and captured the interests of the rest. One of them is John Calipari’s prodigy from Kentucky– Reed Sheppard. The sharpshooter who pushed the Wildcats through his lone season has been making big waves during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine. In fact, he even left Bronny James behind to boost his ranking in the draft.

Talking to Paul George on his ‘Podcast P,’ the Kentucky native said, “I know I can jump. I didn’t know I was going to have the highest vertical in the NBA draft.” He continued, “I got to give a lot of credit to my guy Ryan at Proactive (Sports Performance.) He kind of helped us out with a little arm trick. I was able to get a couple more inches. I looked up at the board and when I saw 42 it kind of made me laugh because I wasn’t expecting it and I know no one else was.” After the revelation, everyone at the Podcast P and Reed Sheppard laughed at his surprised reaction.

On the other hand, Bronny James, whom no one projected in their mock drafts, has done some incredibly impressive things to win over the various scouts and executives at the combine as well. He majorly won hearts and better-ranking potential through his vertical. The 6-ft-1 guard had a stunning leap of 40.5 inches. Consequently, he is being projected as the 54th pick going to the Boston Celtics by ESPN. However, there’s always one better around the corner. For LeBron James‘ son, it was Reed Sheppard.

But how have the results from the combine helped Reed Sheppard?

Reed Sheppard bags threes and leaps to a better projection

One of the primary reasons why Calipari brought the bench player out on the floor was his ability to make deep shots. In his lone season in Lexington, Sheppard averaged an amazing accuracy of 52.1% from beyond the arc on 4.4 attempts per game. He did something similar during the shooting drills as he added most of his deep shots into the bucket.

Previously, many kept Sheppard at the sixth spot. However, after reviewing his skills at the combine, ESPN has shifted him to the third spot. The Houston Rockets can draft him thanks to the pick they received from the Brooklyn Netson. His ability to play on and off the ball, good basketball IQ, and defensive abilities can be quite helpful for the Rockets after missing a spot in the playoffs this season.

Kentucky has truly been a great team to watch this year. However, it will be interesting to see if Mark Pope can handle the changing patterns of the college basketball field after John Calipari’s departure to Arkansas. But this year, we already have 2 of the Wildcats in the top-10 draft projections, showing their potential for a good NBA career.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.