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NBA Draft: Houston Rockets add sharpshooter by placing Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard at No. 3 overall

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets selected Reed Sheppard third overall in the NBA draft Wednesday night, adding a long-range sniper to their young team.

The guard, who spent one season at Kentucky, was the first American selected in this year’s draft after French players Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr were selected by Atlanta and Washington with the first two picks.

Sheppard said he had dreamed of this moment since he was little. His big night was made even more special by having his parents Jeff and Stacey Sheppard with him, who also both played at Kentucky. He turned 20 on Monday.

“It’s my mother’s birthday today,” he said. “So that’s also a great thing to celebrate.”

Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals while appearing in 33 games for the Wildcats. He shot 52.1% from 3-point range and made 83.1% of his free throws. He was the only player in the country last season to make at least 145 assists, 80 steals and make at least 75 3-pointers.

Sheppard became the second player in school history to throw at least 80 interceptions in a season despite playing only five games. This is the 17th consecutive year that Kentucky has had at least one player selected in the NBA draft.

At 6-foot-2 and 182 pounds, Sheppard is one of the smallest players in this year’s draft, but he is also considered by many draft analysts to be the best shooter.

Sheppard is the latest high-profile pick to join the rebuilding Rockets in recent years. They took Amen Thompson fourth last year after adding Jabari Smith Jr. as the third pick in 2022 and Jalen Green second in 2021.

The Rockets missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season this year, but made a significant jump in their first year under coach Ime Udoka after adding veterans Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet. Houston went 41-41 after winning just 17, 20 and 22 games in the previous three seasons.

“I’m super excited,” Sheppard said. “They have really good things in Houston. The coach is really good. They have Jalen. They have a group of very young athletes and we will be able to play fast and it will be fun.

He’s looking forward to playing with VanVleet, another smaller guard entering his ninth season in the NBA.

“The most important thing is to go out there and learn,” he said. “They have guys like Fred VanVleet that I can learn from. You just have to go in with an open mind, willing to learn, willing to do whatever it takes to win and just compete.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA