As the following period of Kentucky males’s basketball started Wednesday evening with a victory on the sensible exhibition inside Rupp Area, one of many brightest stars of the UK’s current previous made his skilled debut.
Reed Sheppard – the previous North Laurel and UK star who was chosen with third general choose in the course of the NBA draft final summer season – he performed his first common season sport with the Houston Rockets.
Enjoying at dwelling on the Toyota Middle in Houston, Sheppard got here off the Rockets bench throughout what grew to become a 110-105 season-opening loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Sheppard logged 16 minutes of taking part in time for Houston, scoring 4 factors on 2-of-5 taking pictures from the sector. Sheppard added two rebounds (one offensive and one defensive) in addition to three assists. He additionally had a block, three fouls and three turnovers, and the Rockets had been outscored by six factors when Sheppard was on the ground.
A former Kentucky Mr. Basketball winner at North Laurel in 2023, Sheppard averaged 12.5 factors per sport for the Wildcats final season. Sheppard shot 52.1% from 3-point vary throughout his lone season at UK, a mark that led all school gamers. He additionally earned Freshman of the Yr honors from the Nationwide Affiliation of Basketball Coaches for the 2023-24 season.
Sheppard is the most written former British Commonwealth participant in NBA historical past, and is taken into account a severe competitor for the NBA Rookie of the Yr award this season. The one NBA rookie of the yr UK has ever produced was Karl-Anthony Cities in 2016.
Along with Sheppard, former UK guard Antonio Reeves made his NBA debut Wednesday evening, though it was transient. Reeves – who performed three school seasons at Illinois State and two seasons at UK – logged one minute for the New Orleans Pelicans in a sport 123-111 dwelling victory towards the Chicago Bulls.
Regardless of solely being on the ground for 60 seconds, Reeves managed to take and miss three pictures. Two of these makes an attempt had been 3-pointers, of which Reeves made 164 throughout his time in Lexington. Reeves was a second spherical choose throughout final summer season’s draft.
Reeves may quickly play a much bigger position with the Pelicans, nevertheless. New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray fractured his left hand in Wednesday’s win over Chicago and can miss vital time.
Two different members of the 2023-24 Kentucky basketball staff – Rob Dillingham and Justin Edwards – didn’t play for his or her respective groups of their NBA season opener this week.
Dillingham, who was chosen with the eighth general choose by the Minnesota Timberwolves, didn’t play Tuesday evening in Minnesota’s street loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Edwards, who was not written This summer season, regardless of already being projected as a lottery choose upon arriving at UK, he didn’t play Wednesday for his hometown Philadelphia 76ers in a house loss towards the Milwaukee Bucks.
Former Kentucky basketball gamers on NBA rosters (2024-25 season)
Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard chosen third general by the Houston Rockets within the 2024 NBA Draft
Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham picked eighth general in NBA by Spurs, traded to Timberwolves
2024 NBA Draft: Analysts word Houston Rockets’ addition of Reed Sheppard from Kentucky
2024 NBA Draft: Analysts word Minnesota Timberwolves’ addition of Rob Dillingham
2024 NBA Draft: Analysts word the addition of Antonio Reeves by the New Orleans Pelicans
Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves, Magic’s 2nd-round choose, traded to Pelicans in 2024 NBA Draft
