Houston Rockets add sharpshooter by taking Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard 3rd overall in NBA draft

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

“We ended up with Reed as the best player in the draft, by far, the best prospect we thought … and kind of the only guy we were really focusing on,” general manager Rafael Stone said. “So if he hadn’t joined us, we probably would have been traded or out of the draft. When we had the opportunity to pick him, we jumped at it.

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 two better choices.

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.

“Our assessment was that Reed has a very special skill set that gives him a chance to be special in the NBA,” Stone said.

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.

Stone was asked how he thought Sheppard would fit in with his new team.

“He can really shoot and he can really pass, so players like him fit into every offense,” he said.

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 very excited,” Sheppard said. “They have a very good team in Houston. The coach is really good. They have Jalen. They have a group of young, athletic players 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.

Stone believes VanVleet will help Sheppard, just as he helped many players on the team during his first year in Houston last season.

“I think it’s an invaluable experience,” Stone said. “Fred was incredible for all of our players last year, even the veterans. Fred is probably the most professional and toughest NBA player I have been around in 20 years in this league. So I think it’s a blessing for Reed to be in this situation.

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