On Monday, ESPN released its annual survey of the NBA offseason.
The survey allows executives, scouts and coaches to anonymously give their opinions on the league and find out who the best current and future players and teams are.
In the poll, Houston Rockets rookie Reed Sheppard appears to be held in high regard, earning the most votes in one category and the second-most votes in another.
First, Sheppard collected five votes for “Who will be the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year?”, with the Memphis Grizzlies big man Zach Edey receiving eight votes. Both also have the best odds to win the Rookie of the Year award at FanDuel SportsBook.
Yet while NBA executives, coaches and scouts may think Edey will be more productive this season, Sheppard received eight votes for “Who will be the best player in the 2024-25 rookie class five years from now?” with the runner-up, Stephon Castleobtaining three votes.
“He checked all the boxes,” one Eastern Conference player said. The scout told Tim Bontemps and ESPN.
Sheppard’s recognition among NBA decision-makers comes after an impressive season at Kentucky and a strong performance in summer league.
In 33 games with the Wildcats, Sheppard averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. In addition to his strong performances, the former 4-star prospect shot 53.6 percent from the field and 52.1 percent from three-point range.
Sheppard’s offensive abilities have carried over to his first professional experience, with the rookie point guard averaging 20 points, 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds in four games at the Las Vegas Summer League. The third overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft has also shown his defensive prowess, averaging 2.8 steals per game in Las Vegas.
If Sheppard can play defense and shoot the ball as well as he did in college, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the talented guard become the best player in his draft class.
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