Reed Sheppard needs to be more aggressive within Kentucky's offense
Kentucky freshman guard Reed Sheppard is, statistically speaking, the best shooter in all of college basketball. So why is it such a challenge for him to get more shots off?
Through 18 games this season, Sheppard is shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 54.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 82.9 percent from the free throw line. Per KenPom, he leads the entire country in effective field goal percentage (72.7) and true shooting percentage (74.7). Those are insane numbers, and ones that many have felt wouldn’t be sustainable. But we’re over halfway through the season now and they haven’t dipped much, if at all, as the schedule rolls along.
Why? One of the main reasons is he’s not shooting the ball nearly as much of late as he was to start the year. Even Dickie Vitale is puzzled.
During 12 non-conference games, Sheppard was taking 7.5 field goal attempts per game, 4.2 of them from beyond the arc. Those numbers were fine considering the circumstances. He was still finding his footing as a rookie on a team surrounded by talent. When he needed to take over, he showed he could (he took 13 shots against Miami and 17 shots against UNC-Wilmington in back-to-back matchups).
But now that he’s established himself — winning SEC Freshman of the Week, cracking the lottery in several NBA Mock Drafts, etc. — his volume has dropped significantly.
Through six Southeastern Conference matchups, Sheppard’s shots per game have dipped to just 4.5. Justin Edwards, who is shooting under 38 percent from the field in the SEC, is taking more shots (4.8) than his freshman counterpart in conference settings. Edwards is also playing over six fewer minutes than Sheppard.
Even more notable, Sheppard is averaging 3.8 three-point shots per game in conference play out of those 4.5 total attempts, meaning he’s taking less than one shot from two-point range per game. Sheppard has attempted just four total shots from inside the arc against SEC competition, only making one. That is far too low for someone hovering around the 57 percent range on two-pointers for the season. He’s still hitting on 52.2 percent of his triples during conference action. His usage rate of 16.8 ranks eighth on the team.
Sheppard is still involved in Kentucky’s offense and is still converting on his shots from distance, but for whatever reason, he’s been turning down more and more looks. In the Wildcats’ most recent outing — a 79-62 loss on the road to South Carolina — Sheppard took just four shots on the night, even looking off a fastbreak layup for a kick-out pass to Rob Dillingham that resulted in a contested, air-balled three-pointer. Sheppard has yet to attempt more than five shots in a single game against an SEC opponent.
“I don’t think you’re gonna see much more of that from him,” Kentucky veteran forward Tre Mitchell said of Sheppard on Friday. “He knows what he’s capable of and what we need him to do.
“It happened. Forget about it and move on to the next one,” Mitchell added in regards to Sheppard’s performance against South Carolina. “You know what you’re capable of doing. Just trust yourself.“
Sheppard is almost playing too unselfish right now. That was especially true against South Carolina. He was looking to make tough passes out of the gate that had no business being thrown. John Calipari was seen telling Sheppard to calm down during the first half against the Gamecocks. He had zero assists for the first time all season and turned the ball over twice. His involvement in the offense fell off a cliff.
Even if Sheppard’s shooting numbers slide down to the 40-45 percent range, that’s still an impressive clip, particularly if he can double his shot diet. If he’s going to average 25 minutes per game in the SEC like he is right now, Kentucky needs him to take more than 4.5 shots. That’s simply not going to cut it.
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