Reed Sheppard flexed point guard potential against Team Africa

Reed Sheppard was a “point guard” for most of his high school career. He was the do-it-all man at North Laurel, where he would spread himself across all five positions in a matter of a few possessions, but more often than not, he had the ball in his hands — directing traffic, setting up his teammates, and racking up points.

And yet, he’s commonly referred to as a combo or shooting guard, mainly because that was the position most expected him to play at the college level. Through Kentucky’s first two games of the GLOBL Jam Tournament in Toronto, that was the case. The 6-foot-3 freshman played alongside the likes of DJ Wagner and Rob Dillingham, who took the floor as de-facto point guards.

Sheppard shined in that role, even if it took him a while to find his shot. He didn’t score in the Wildcats’ opening win on Wednesday over Team Germany but posted three rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He then got into his rhythm in a win on Thursday against Team Canada, finishing with 14 points on 5-8 shooting, two rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks.

But it wasn’t the scoring that stood out to fans. Everyone knows Sheppard can put the ball in the hoop, but not many knew he could block three-pointers and turn them into fastbreak dunks in one quick motion. Or pick off passing lanes with eagle-eye vision. Or even run the entire offense.

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In the third game on Saturday against Team Africa — also a win for Kentucky — Sheppard assumed a different role. The same role he filled for the last few years, actually. Head coach John Calipari switched up the starting five and moved Sheppard to point guard for most of the afternoon. The results were eyebrow-raising: 18 points on 6-10 shooting (2-5 3PT), a team-high eight assists, and two blocks to go with just one turnover.

“I only did it today because I wanted to see Robert (Dillingham) off the ball and I wanted to see DJ (Wagner) off the ball,” Calipari said of why he put Sheppard at point guard. “And then in the end, I put DJ on the ball, we’re trying to win the game. But Reed can play. Reed can play one, two, or three. He probably, my guess is leads us in blocks. He probably leads us in blocks, like who is this guy? Gets to it quick, makes the right play.”

Calipari might’ve inflated Sheppard’s blocks a bit (he has four through three games, which is tied for second with Adou Thiero. Veteran forward Tre Mitchell leads the team with six total blocks, although Sheppard is tied for the team lead in steals with six), but his point was made. Sheppard can do a little bit of everything, and that includes playing the lead guard at Kentucky.

Sheppard was carving up Team Africa in the halfcourt, beating his man off the dribble while playing incredibly smart basketball. Good luck trying to press him. He was the primary focus of opposing defenses in high school. Breaking a fullcourt press is second nature at this point.

Perhaps the most impressive stat of his play so far though? Sheppard has 18 assists to just three turnovers through three games at GLOBL Jam. As Calipari said the other day, this team is filled with “basketball players”. Sheppard is the picture that pops up when you Google that phrase.

The early scuttlebutt out of the first 10 practices this summer was that Sheppard looked better than his four-star ranking out of high school. So far, the eye test is matching those rumors. But his teammates have already known just how talented he truly is. We’re all just now getting to see it live and in person.

“Reed always does this, he’s a great player,” Dillingham said after Saturday’s win. “Even if he’s not scoring the ball he’s doing something — he’s passing, he’s stealing the ball. So it’s not really a surprise. It’s a surprise to other people because they look at him as like an underdog, but really, we know how Reed plays.”

We know now too. Sheppard plays like he’s ready to make an impact in 2023-24 from day one.