Dillingham, Sheppard now top-16 prospects in 2024 NBA Draft rankings

It’s time to believe the hype with Kentucky‘s dynamic duo off the bench. Seen as potential multi-year players entering the season, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard are now fringe lottery selections — the former firmly inside the top 10.

ESPN released its latest 2024 NBA Draft rankings breaking down the top 25 prospects in the class. First off the board for the Wildcats? Dillingham at No. 7 overall, jumping all the way up from No. 16 in the previous update.

“Dillingham continues to show growth at Kentucky, settling into a role in a crowded backcourt in which he has been able to create and make a positive impact,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo said of the dynamic freshman. “While not gifted with great size, Dillingham changes speeds and creates off the dribble as well as anyone in this draft class, and he has shown maturity in his adjustment to college basketball coming from Overtime Elite’s more wide-open league. Dillingham’s passing and decision-making has been solid, and he’s shooting well from deep thus far.

“There’s a variance of opinion on all of Kentucky’s prospects — and Dillingham’s lack of great tools and physicality presents concerns as a viable starter, particularly holding up on the defensive end — but he has certainly helped his standing two months into the season, and there’s some significant upside in the way he creates shots.”

Next up? Yeah, zero percent chance you had this one going into the year. Reed Sheppard is the No. 16 overall prospect on the board, tenth-best among college players. His measurables will always be a concern, but he checks off just about every other box imaginable.

“The biggest surprise of the NBA draft cycle thus far, Sheppard has played an essential role in Kentucky’s transformation into one of the fastest-paced offenses in college basketball,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said. “He has emerged as arguably the best shooter in the class, shooting 28-for-50 from 3 (56%) through 12 games, while showing high-level pace and court vision whipping passes all over the floor with his terrific feel for the game. This also manifests itself vividly on the defensive end, with Sheppard generating steals and blocks at an outstanding rate.

“Measured at just 6-2 with a 6-3 wingspan, Sheppard’s physical tools are a major question mark, especially since he has struggled at times handling pressure and being swallowed up inside the paint as a primary ball handler versus the better teams Kentucky has faced. As good a defender as he is off the ball, he gets overpowered one-on-one by bigger players as well. For those reasons, SEC competition will reveal a lot about Sheppard, particularly in how his role evolves operating behind and alongside Kentucky’s other star freshman guards.”

That’s the good news. The bad? Well, DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards have fallen outside the top 25 entirely after being seen as consensus lottery picks entering the year. The former comes in at No. 27 overall, followed immediately by the latter at No. 28. From there, Aaron Bradshaw sits at No. 36 to open the second round while Ugonna Onyenso sneaks in at the very end of the top 60 at No. 58 overall.

And then outside the draft field is Zvonimir Ivisic at No. 70 overall and Tre Mitchell at No. 77, respectively.

Four first-rounders with eight players in the top 80 isn’t too shabby.