Some good news and bad news, Big Blue Nation.
The good news: The three best outside shooters going into the 2024 NBA Draft (set for June 26-27) all played for the Kentucky Wildcats this past season. According to CBB Analytics, Reed Sheppard (52.1 percent), Antonio Reeves (44.7 percent), and Rob Dillingham (44.4 percent) make up the top three of this year’s draft-eligible prospects who attempted at least two shots from deep per game. That’s pretty damn impressive.
The bad news: Kentucky won a grand total of zero postseason games with them on the roster. That’s pretty damn annoying.
When the first round of the draft tips off this Wednesday in Brooklyn, NY, it’s likely that Sheppard and Dillingham will be among the first dozen names called.
Sheppard is trending as a top-three selection and there is a small chance he could even sneak his way into the top overall spot. Meanwhile, despite some slippage in his stock over the last couple of weeks, it would be a shock to most if Dillingham dropped out of the lottery entirely. Even Reeves is on the rise, with his name being mentioned more frequently as a possible late second-round pick.
Unfortunately, as the BBN knows all too well, those three didn’t play together as often as they probably should have. Sheppard (third in minutes played) and Dillingham (fifth in minutes played) came off the bench all season long.
According to the CBB Analytics website, the trio of Reeves, Sheppard, and Dillingham played 356 total minutes together last season and produced a net rating of +28.3, which ranks in the 98th percentile across the nation. If we compare that to Kentucky’s usual starting trio of Reeves, DJ Wagner, and Justin Edwards, those three played 292 total minutes together while producing a net rating of -3.9 — ranking in the 25th percentile.
Is this the sole reason Kentucky couldn’t win in the postseason this past season? Not exactly (remember the defense?), but the season-long numbers are telling.
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