Reed Sheppard holds firm at No. 3 in latest ESPN Mock Draft

It’s looking more and more like Reed Sheppard will be a top-three selection when the 2024 NBA Draft opens on June 26 — conveniently Stacey Sheppard’s birthday — in Brooklyn. What better birthday gift for mom than going No. 3 overall to the Houston Rockets?

That’s ESPN’s projection in a new mock draft released by Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, holding firm at three after rising to that spot in a previous update on May 12 following the lottery. He hasn’t been outside the top three since April 17 when he was previously projected to go No. 7 overall.

Reed Sheppard goes No. 3 to Houston

Now, he’s seen as the best college prospect in the draft, behind only Zaccharie Risacher of France and Alex Sarr of Australia — Olivier Sarr’s younger brother, interestingly.

“Should Houston stand pat at No. 3, continuing to add shooting will likely be a priority after it finished toward the bottom of the league last season,” Givony said of Sheppard. “With that in mind, adding a sharpshooter such as Sheppard, who converted over half of his 3-point attempts and proved capable of playing on or off the ball, could be attractive. Sheppard’s unselfishness, feel for the game and sharp defensive instincts could make him a strong fit alongside the Rockets’ core.”

Rob Dillingham goes home to Charlotte at No. 6

From there, we got minor movement on Rob Dillingham‘s side after sticking at No. 4 for a few updates, falling two spots to No. 6 overall. That would bring him home to North Carolina, playing for the Charlotte Hornets.

“With less than a month to the draft, Charlotte has been connected to perimeter players, with the team said to be high on the long-term future of Mark Williams — which might preclude drafting Donovan Clingan as an option here,” Woo wrote. “Other names to watch for the Hornets include Cody Williams and Ron Holland. But Dillingham’s shooting ability and playmaking make him an attractive fit as someone who can play alongside Ball and Brandon Miller in the short term, and also offer long-term cover at point guard (depending what happens with Ball).”

What about Justin Edwards and Antonio Reeves?

So there are two top-six picks for the Wildcats — both coming off the bench under John Calipari this past season. From there, you get another sliding in at the end of the first round in Justin Edwards, who has performed well in pre-draft workouts and at the Combine.

He’s slotted to go No. 29 to the Utah Jazz — Mark Pope’s old neck of the woods.

“Edwards did not have the season many expected at Kentucky, but he’s still worthy of consideration in this range of the draft. Standing 6-7 with some perimeter shooting acumen and upside to grow into after one season in college, Edwards ranks No. 28 in ESPN’s Top 100,” Givony wrote. “The Jazz have multiple picks at their disposal and can afford to take a swing on a player many considered a top-10 candidate entering the season.”

And then to close things out (literally), you have Antonio Reeves coming in at No. 58 overall — the last spot in the draft. That pick is going to the Dallas Mavericks, bringing him to a team that just advanced to the NBA Playoffs with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. He’d be going from one winning situation to another.

Deserves to go higher, but we’ll take it.

First Round Projections

1. Zaccharie Risacher – Atlanta Hawks
2. Alex Sarr – Washington Wizards
3. Reed Sheppard – Houston Rockets
4. Stephon Castle – San Antonio Spurs
5. Matas Buzelis – Detroit Pistons
6. Rob Dillingham – Charlotte Hornets
7. Donovan Clingan – Portland Trail Blazers
8. Tidjane Salaun – San Antonio Spurs
9. Dalton Knecht – Memphis Grizzlies
10. Nikola Topic – Utah Jazz
11. Ron Holland – Chicago Bulls
12. Devin Carter – Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Ja’Kobe Walter – Sacramento Kings
14. Cody Williams – Portland Trail Blazers
15. Zach Edey – Miami Heat
16. Jared McCain – Philadelphia 76ers
17. Tristan Da Silva – Los Angeles Lakers
18. Johnny Furphy – Orlando Magic
19. Kyshawn George – Toronto Raptors
20. Carlton Carrington – Cleveland Cavaliers
21. Isaiah Collier – New Orleans Pelicans
22. Kyle Filipowski – Phoenix Suns
23. Kel’El Ware – Milwaukee Bucks
24. Yves Missi – New York Knicks
25. Tyler Kolek – New York Knicks
26. Bobi Klintman – Washington Wizards
27. Baylor Scheierman – Minnesota Timberwolves
28. DaRon Holmes II – Denver Nuggets
29. Justin Edwards – Utah Jazz
30. Kevin McCullar – Boston Celtics

What do you think of those potential landing spots for the former Cats?

For the rest of the mock draft, click here.