Antonio Reeves testing NBA Draft waters, maintaining eligibility

Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves will test the NBA Draft waters while leaving the door open for a potential return to Lexington, the senior standout announced Tuesday morning.

His decision comes after a strong debut season with the Wildcats where he finished second on the team in scoring with 14.4 points per contest while shooting 41.6% from the field, 39.8% from three and 78.3% at the line. He finished in double figures a total of 26 times, including 10 games of at least 20 points and a career-high 37 points in a win at Arkansas in the team’s final road game of the year.

Now, Reeves is set to receive feedback from NBA teams to determine if now is the time to take the next step in his basketball journey.

“First of all, I want to thank God because none of this would be possible without Him. I also want to thank my family for their unwavering support. My time at Kentucky has been everything I dreamt it would be,” Reeves announced. “Coach Cal and the staff pushed me to become a better all-around player and my teammates and I created bonds that will last a lifetime. I want to thank Big Blue Nation. You are the best fans in the country and we felt your passion all season long and everywhere we went.

“I’ve spent time thinking about what’s best for me and my future. I’ve determined that testing the waters and getting information back from the NBA is the best thing for me at this time. I’ve always dreamt of becoming a professional basketball player, and I am focused on fulfilling that dream but I’m keeping my options open.”

The 6-foot-5 guard out of Chicago, Illinois is not currently listed in any mock drafts for the upcoming 2023 class and is unlikely to hear his name called among the 58 available picks this summer. A strong run of workouts could potentially put him in position for a two-way deal, though it’s more likely he’d earn an Exhibit 10 contract, one that would keep him in the G-League making less than he made this past year at Kentucky through NIL — six figures.

But Reeves is 22 years old and his career clock is ticking. The idea of striking while the iron is hot makes sense, especially after playing his best basketball of the year to close out the season — he was nothing short of terrific leading up to the Kansas State loss in the NCAA Tournament. If a microwave scorer with defensive limitations is his long-term identity as a player, the idea of starting the grind now rather than a year later isn’t completely crazy. There are plenty of guys who have made it in the league taking that same approach.

Another angle: Reeves is not on track to graduate this spring, meaning a return to school would also allow him to finish up his degree. And he’d be making quite a bit of money doing so thanks to NIL, especially playing a bigger role with better familiarity with the fan base. Two pretty substantial benefits on the table in Lexington.

“Antonio is utilizing the rule in place of testing the waters exactly as he should,” John Calipari said. “Scoring is a premium and Antonio can score on all three levels and showed growth as a player on both ends. I’m excited to see what kind of feedback he receives.”

Reeves will have until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 31 to pull his name out of the draft process and keep his eligibility. Both paths are officially on the table and the process starts now.

Go show ’em what you’ve got, Antonio. Selfishly, though, BBN would love to have you back for one last ride.