Antonio Reeves plans to bring 'natural' shooting to Pelicans: "He's a marksman"

You couldn’t have found Antonio Reeves on a draft board if you tried wrapping up his final season at Illinois State. The Chicago native produced at a high level for a mid-major talent, but he had to prove he could do it at the high-major level before even dreaming of the NBA. That’s why he transferred to Kentucky, hoping to be the same bucket-getter in the SEC he was in the Missouri Valley.

That led to SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2022-23 before earning All-America and All-SEC accolades in 2023-24, closing out his time in college as John Calipari’s all-time single-season scorer at Kentucky. Averaging 20.2 points on 51.2 percent shooting, 44.7 percent from three and 86.3 percent at the line — all career bests — Reeves emerged as a do-it-all threat for the Wildcats and a clear pro, expanding his game as a three-level scorer with defensive growth and a willingness to attack the glass.

It’s why the New Orleans Pelicans selected the former Wildcat with the No. 47 overall pick, a major accomplishment and a testament to Reeves’ development as a player during his time in Lexington.

“Antonio is a big-time shooter, playmaker. I saw him play at Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Tournament,” Pelicans GM Bryson Graham said at Reeves’ introductory press conference. “He transferred to Kentucky and did two years there. His growth each and every year — you saw it. This past year, shooting 45 percent from three on close to six attempts per game, he’s a marksman. He’s going to fit very, very well here.”

What pushed him to this point as a player? More recently, it was the daily shooting battles in practice with Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham — two top-10 picks.

“Man, hard work every day,” he said. “We’re just competitive, had shooting competitions all the time, played one-on-one sometimes, as well. That’s how we got better as basketball players, feeding it to each other so we could strive to be better.”

ESPN described him as the best three-point shooter in the entire draft field, a consistent threat with NBA range. He’s a pure catch-and-shoot specialist, as good as it gets in that regard.

Reeves agrees with the worldwide leader’s analysis.

“Of course, that’s how I feel. I think I’m the best shooter in the draft,” he said. “I feel like I am, just working every day and staying in the gym.”

He became a pro at Kentucky, but the 6-6 guard feels he’s always had a special gift as a shooter. That’s what allowed him to lay the foundation he did as a scorer at Illinois State before using the bigger and brighter spotlight in Lexington to skyrocket his game to another level.

Oh, and modeling his game after NBA legend Reggie Miller certainly helped.

“It basically just came natural to me,” Reeves said. “I always had it when I was younger. Of course, I worked on it over the course of the years as I got older. Who I would say I would shoot like in the NBA? I would say someone like Reggie Miller, I’d give it to Reggie Miller. I watched his film growing up and things like that. He’s a really good shooter.”

He’s coming out of college as an older prospect, but he says his five years of experience will help him make an earlier impact in the NBA, especially coming from Kentucky. He may not be a veteran as a pro, but he’s seen a lot of basketball throughout his time as a Redbird and a Wildcat.

“It’s going to help me, just the experience I had being around for five years and learning a lot from coaches,” he said. “And learning from other guys, as well, taking stuff and implementing that into my game.”

How excited is he to team up with Zion Williamson, a human wrecking ball who will always be at the top of opponents’ scouting reports, especially as a driver?

He can see the clean looks from three already.

“To be able to space the floor, me being a shooter. Whenever he drives, he causes so much attention,” Reeves said. “When guys feed into that, I can be wide open. I’ll be able to shoot.”

The former Wildcat does that better than just about anyone. Now we’ll get to see him do it in the NBA.