Reed Sheppard models his game after trio of NBA stars

Heading into tonight’s NBA Draft one of the players most likely to hear his name called very early on is Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, who emerged as a bona fide star in his lone season with the Wildcats.

Sheppard has thought a lot about how he wants to mold his game for the NBA level, too. He models different aspects of his game off different players.

“First there’s so many great players in the NBA,” Sheppard said on a pre-draft special on ESPN. “So for me it’s hard to look and pick one. So I try and take different parts of different players’ games.”

He provided a few examples, and most are the types you would probably readily guess. He’s going for guys that have done it at a high level for a really long time, but who also have unique elements to their game.

“Like Chris Paul, I love how he can control the game and how he’s just a teammate and he just is so smart,” Reed Sheppard said. “I was able to work out with him a few weeks ago and you can just tell how smart he was.”

Sheppard averaged 4.5 assists per game during his time at Kentucky. And while that’s hardly comparable to Paul at the NBA level, Sheppard often wasn’t tasked with being the primary ball-handler. He might have to be in the NBA.

So developing that skill set will be important. Then there’s the ability to create a shot.

“Devin Booker, how he can get to his mid-range spot whenever he wants,” Reed Sheppard said of his model there.

Shooting itself certainly isn’t a problem for Sheppard. He shot a blistering 52.1% from 3-point range during his lone season in the Bluegrass State.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the final player he said he models his game after is one of the game’s all-time great shooters.

“Steph Curry, how he can move without the ball and get his feet set and still shoot the same shot, whether it’s catch-and-shoot or just moving around the court,” Sheppard said.

Bottom line, Sheppard is about to take the leap to a new level of competition. And while there will likely be an adjustment period, he feels equipped to handle it.

In part based on what he’s taken away from other NBA stars.

“Just seeing those and trying to put some of the greats there, what they’re really good at into my game just so I can be the best version of myself,” Reed Sheppard said.