Reed Sheppard had a hilarious reaction to his 42-inch draft combine vertical
Projected lottery pick Reed Sheppard emerged as one of the top performers in the strength and agility testing this week at the NBA draft combine in Chicago, Illinois.
Sheppard, who measured in at 6 feet, 1 3/4 inches without shoes, registered the 14th-fastest three-quarter sprint at 3.08 seconds. He finished eighth in the standing vertical jump (32 1/2 inches) and was tied for the highest max vertical jump (42 inches).
The 19-year-old occasionally flashed that athleticism throughout this past season at Kentucky, but he was mostly known as an elite shooter and defender. He reminded everyone watching, including himself, that he can jump with the best of them.
“I don’t know if I was really expecting it, but it was pretty cool seeing that,” Sheppard said. “They must have messed something up, there is no way I jumped that high. It was pretty cool seeing the 42 on the board after I did jump.”
Reed Sheppard measured a 42 inch max vertical leap. Best at the NBA draft combine so far. pic.twitter.com/MhQsWsDFJG
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2024
Sheppard was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals on 52.1% shooting from 3-point range. He had seven 20-point games, including a season-high 32 points and the game-winning shot on Feb. 27 against Mississippi State.
The 6-foot-3 guard led the country in 3-point percentage and finished 10th in total steals (82). He was the only player in the country to record at least 145 assists, 80 steals and 75 3-pointers, and just the second in program history with 80 or more steals in a season.
He brings versatility with him to the next level as a combo guard. He doesn’t have a preferred position at this juncture of his career and is willing to fit in anywhere on the court.
I’m good with whatever. It doesn’t matter what I have to do as long as we’re winning and everyone is having fun. I said it going into Kentucky: I don’t care if I have to pass the ball, shoot the ball or get some water for the guys. Whatever it takes for the team to win, I’ll do.
Sheppard started the season considered a potential lottery pick. He has since seen his stock rise and is gaining momentum to be selected in the top five after a strong campaign with the Wildcats. He is even in the conversation by some to be the No. 1 pick.
The sharpshooter isn’t concerned with his potential stock, with over a month to go until the draft on June 26-27. He is just trying to improve as much as possible on the court and showcase himself at a high level in workouts and interviews.
“I’m just going to focus on this next month and just try to become the best player that I can and continue to get better and continue to get in the gym and really through all of this just have fun and enjoy it,” Sheppard said. “At the end of the day, no matter what happens, right now, I’m at the NBA combine. Not a lot of people can say they do this or work out with teams and have interviews with these teams and organizations.”
