Reed Sheppard is on pace to shatter Kentucky's single-season steals record

He’s not the team’s leading scorer or the team’s flashiest player. He’s not the quickest, strongest, or even smoothest guy out there. But somehow, Reed Sheppard has been having one of the best seasons of any freshman in college basketball.

It has only been 11 games, a sample size not large enough to call sufficient, but certainly not small enough to call meaningless. We’ll get to his absurd shooting numbers in just a moment, but let’s start with Sheppard’s record-setting pace for steals.

Sheppard leads the SEC with 31 total steals through 11 games. Of course, we can’t predict how far Kentucky will go in the SEC and NCAA Tournament, but let’s just throw a dart and say they play in 40 games and win the National Championship. If Reed kept up his current rate of 2.8 steals per game, that means he would finish the year with 112, which would shatter the all-time single-season record.

Rajon Rondo currently holds Kentucky’s single-season steals record with 87, a feat he accomplished in 34 games back during the 2004-05 season. During that same year, Rondo had just 26 steals (five fewer than Sheppard does now) through the first 11 games.

It might be a matter of time before Sheppard steals Rondo’s nearly 20-year-old record for himself.

Sheppard’s all-roundedness sets him apart

Sheppard’s 31 steals lead the SEC and tie him for 6th in the country overall, but no one else in college basketball possesses the all-around game Reed does.

The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker did some number crunching on came up with some unfathomable stats. Reed Sheppard is the only player since 2010-11 to shoot 58.5 percent from the field, 57.8 percent from 3, and 89.5 percent from the free throw line through 11 games.

No Division 1 player, at any level, has ever done that through 11 games while also putting up more than 25 assists (Sheppard has 47) and coming away with more than 15 steals (Sheppard has 31).

Tucker also pointed out that West Virginia point guard, (and current Chicago Bull) Jevon Carter was the only other player since 2010-11 with as many combination 3-pointers, steals, assists, and rebounds as Sheppard through 11 games.

This all feels like an impossible pace to maintain, but Big Blue Nation will be here for every second of it to watch him try.

Also since 2010-11, Reed Sheppard is the only high-major player to shoot .585 FG/.578 3PT/.895 FT through 11 games. No D1 player, high/mid/low-major, has done all that + had more than 25 assists (he has 47) and more than 15 steals (he has 31).

It's really an unthinkable start. https://t.co/zbz5KxmS8q

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) December 23, 2023