Piston Draft Crush - Reed Sheppard?

What would the Detroit Pistons be getting in the elite floor spacing guard at No. 5 overall?

6’3 Guard

19 Years Old (Turns 20 on June 24th)

North Laurel HS, Currently Playing for Kentucky

12.5 PPG - 4.1 RPG - 4.5 APG - 2.5 SPG - 0.7 BPG - 2.0 TOPG (28.9 MPG - 33 GP)

54% on 8.0 FGA - 52% on 4.4 3PA - 83% on 2.0 FTA

My Draft Position - Top 7 Pick

*These are my raw, and condensed, scouting report notes from watching multiple games throughout the season*

ARCHETYPE/POTENTIAL ROLE

Looks to be a combo guard that has the skills for either position, even if his height may not be prototypical for an off the ball guard. His shooting gravity, perhaps the highest in the entire class, more than makes up for that when you consider the value he will provide as a floor spacer and ball mover. Will also be able to take on ball reps where he can run the team, get the ball where it needs to go and has upside as a true creator. If you believe in his ability to be a primary creator, in a starting unit, that would drastically raise the ceiling of his NBA value. He combines this with very intriguing defensive value to guard both backcourt positions, although probably not at a “lockdown” level, and be an absolute disruptor with his defensive playmaking skills. You will be hard pressed to find another perimeter defender that combines the hand activity and accuracy with the basketball feel and elite jump shot contesting that he has. 

OFFENSE

• Floor spacer first and foremost

  • This is an absolute ELITE skill (superpower) that nobody else in this class does better than him

  • He also has plenty of attempts off movement, off the dribble AND from BEYOND NBA range

    • Has that quick stop and phone booth pull up jumper, multiple examples in the mid range

  • Think his off ball relocation to open passing windows for C&S opportunities has gotten better throughout the season also

• He has some real potential to play with the ball in his hands and that’s where the ceiling REALLY starts to raise

  • Attacks a closeout from Poplar

  • Absolutely blows by a couple possessions vs Kansas in an isolation situation

  • IS HE A CREATOR or a BALL MOVER?

    • If you watch the Mississippi St game you see his ability to truly breakdown a defense and CREATE for his teammates

    • COUNTLESS possessions where he had the primary defenders hips and shoulders turned

  • Showing some ability to read the floor and make the creative passes 

    • BUT there are times when the decision making definitely should have been better

  • The thing is, he is also a ball mover that keeps the flow of the offense going and will make the “simple” one more pass or make sure the pass is on time and on target

• One of the best transition passers you will see

  • Does incredible job getting the ball up the floor AND cutting the court (passing from one side to the other)

DEFENSE

• Can be SOLID (NOT ELITE) but also be a playmaker (often guys are one or the other)

  • He really gives effort and has defensive playmaking chops

  • Don’t think we are looking at some sort of “lock down” level on the ball defender

    • Stand by this, his best defensive value won’t come from being some sort of lock down on ball defender 

• I didn’t think the on ball defense was quite as impressive this game 

  • There are possessions where you can start to see some limitations here…showing up again in the first round of the tournament 

  • Where he makes his impact is his recovery, multiple efforts and then using his active hands to make offensive player “feel him”

• I am not exactly sure what the defensive upside is but I think he will compete and know the right place to be

  • AND he finds a way to be disruptive

  • He has GREAT hands, so accurate and active

    • This is such an underrated skill for a player BUT is vital for success in the NBA because NBA players are flat out so good on offense

  • Might be an ELITE jump shot contestor (no “might” about it as the year has gone on)

    • The timing is just insane for a guard

    • The amount of jump shots he has blocked this year as a guard is just insane

• Gets a little ball watchy off the ball at times

  • Had a couple in the game vs Mississippi State BUT showed some insane recovery ability as well

FOR THE PISTONS

If you think floor spacing should be the Pistons number one priority this offseason then Sheppard should be high on your Detroit wishlist. There might not be anyone with a better shooting profile than Reed Sheppard and he probably fits best next to a jumbo creator like Cade Cunningham. I am not quite as high as other people on his true on ball abilities in terms of creating for his teammates (though, shifting to the primary creator in second units is more than projectable) and while he is a big time defensive disruptor, I am a little worried about how well he holds up on the ball. This final aspect would be my biggest hesitation with Trajan Langdon making him the first selection as the new decision maker in Detroit. Sheppard will be impactful defensively with his active hands and awesome recovery ability but does not project as much of a lockdown on ball defender as someone like Stephon Castle. With all of that said, there is a ton of value in drafting a player with this shooting profile that would have his level of floor spacing gravity who also has on the ball upside and a prospect who put together quite the athletic profile at the combine if that was something that people were questioning.