Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard are lottery picks in ESPN's latest mock draft

Kentucky‘s two high-profile draft prospects are the team’s sixth and seventh men off the bench. Both are legitimate lottery picks. This is something none of us expected entering the season, but here we are.

Rob Dillingham, top-10 pick — No. 7, to be exact. ESPN has him going to the Chicago Bulls as the third-best prospect in college basketball. Just a few spots later? Reed Sheppard at No. 12 overall to the San Antonio Spurs.

Not too shabby.

“Few players in this class can handle and pass as exquisitely as Dillingham, a jet with the ball who gets anywhere he wants and has equally wowed NBA scouts with his shot-making prowess,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said of the five-star freshman. “Going into conference play, scouts want to see how Dillingham’s frame and below-average size and length hold up versus SEC competition, especially on the defensive end where he’s had some struggles, despite ramping up his intensity from high school.” 

“Sheppard has been a revelation for Kentucky, bringing outstanding shot-making, passing, feel, defensive instincts and confidence,” Givony added of Dillingham’s bench counterpart. “No one expects him to shoot 55% from 3 all season as he currently is, but scouts do want to see how he looks as a primary ball handler in high-leverage situations against the toughest competition Kentucky will face in SEC play. His ability to consistently make the right reads out of pick-and-rolls and use his tremendous skill level as a finisher has helped him compete against bigger guards, but can he continue that when SEC defenses are geared to stop him?”

Then things get interesting for Kentucky’s other big-name freshmen. DJ Wagner is the only other projected first-rounder at No. 26 overall, joining Karl-Anthony Towns with the Minnesota Timberwolves. From there, Justin Edwards has slipped to the second round at No. 31 overall to the Toronto Raptors, followed by Aaron Bradshaw at No. 40 to the Portland Trail Blazers.

For Wagner, inconsistency is the concern.

“Wagner had extreme highs and lows in the first half of the season, leading to significant variance in opinions among scouts for where he might be drafted and how to evaluate his long-term outlook,” Givony said. “Finding more consistency with his outside shooting, decision-making, finishing and defensive impact will be important for Wagner to regain his footing as a prospect after entering the season as a projected lottery pick.”

The tools are there for Edwards, but he’s got some ground to make up in SEC play if he has dreams of returning to lottery status — or even the first round, for that matter.

“Edwards has shown flashes of the two-way ability and shot-making prowess that made him a projected top-five pick entering the season, not having any real signature moments to point to,” he added. “He’s struggled to consistently make wide-open 3s, generate offense for himself or others, or be any kind of defensive stopper, looking sped up and limited on both ends. Considering he’s already 20 years old and older than many sophomores, scouts will want to see considerably more in the second half of the season to feel comfortable with him as a first-round pick, let alone where we had him to start the season.”

As for Bradshaw, it’s more of a sample size issue than a lack of production or poor play.

“Bradshaw missed the first seven games with a foot injury, so we likely still haven’t seen the best of what the 7-footer has to offer,” Givony said. “He’s been inconsistent in what he has shown, struggling to make a consistent impact as a rebounder, defender, passer or finisher, looking physically weak dealing with older, stronger opponents and sped up on both ends. Showing he can consistently stretch the floor as an outside shooter — the most appealing element of Bradshaw’s NBA intrigue — is likely the best thing he can do over the second half of the season to prove he’s worthy of being a first-round pick, as well as making a bigger impact as a rim-protector and pick-and-roll defender.”

Plenty to like, plenty to learn. All in all, five top-40 picks for the Wildcats.

Take a look at the complete first round of the mock draft:

1. Detroit Pistons – Alex Sarr | Perth Wildcats | PF/C | Age: 18.7
2. San Antonio Spurs – Zaccharie Risacher | JL Bourg | SF | Age: 18.7
3. Washington Wizards- Cody Williams | Colorado | SF | Age: 19.1
4. Portland Trail Blazers – Ja’Kobe Walter | Baylor | SG | Age: 18.7
5. Charlotte Hornets – Nikola Topic | Mega MIS | PG | Age: 18.4
6. Memphis Grizzlies – Tidjane Salaun | Cholet | PF | Age: 18.4
7. Chicago Bulls – Rob Dillingham | Kentucky | PG | Age: 19.0
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Utah Jazz) – Kyle Filipowski | Duke | PF/C | Age: 20.1
9. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn Nets) – Isaiah Collier | USC | PG | Age: 19.2
10. Atlanta Hawks – Matas Buzelis | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.9
11. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston Rockets) – Ron Holland | G League Ignite | SF | Age: 18.5
12. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors) – Reed Sheppard | Kentucky | PG/SG | Age: 19.5
13. New Orleans Pelicans (via Los Angeles Lakers)* – Donovan Clingan | UConn | C | Age: 19.8
14. Phoenix Suns – Zach Edey | Purdue | C | Age: 21.6
15. New York Knicks (via Dallas Mavericks) – Stephon Castle | UConn | PG/SG | Age: 19.1
16. Portland Trail Blazers (via Golden State Warriors) – Ryan Dunn | Virginia | SF | Age: 21.0
17. Orlando Magic – Kevin McCullar Jr. | Kansas | SF | Age: 22.8
18. Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento Kings) – Tyler Smith | G League Ignite | SF/PF | Age: 19.1
19. Indiana Pacers – Trevon Brazile | Arkansas | PF | Age: 20.7
20. Miami Heat – Yves Missi | Baylor | C | Age: 19.6
21. New York Knicks – Bobi Klintman | Cairns Taipans | SF/PF | Age: 20.5
22. Cleveland Cavaliers – Juan Nunez | Ratiopharm Ulm | PG | Age: 19.3
23. New Orleans Pelicans – Izan Almansa | G League Ignite | PF/C | Age: 18.5
24. Milwaukee Bucks – Kel’el Ware | Indiana | C | Age: 19.7
25. Philadelphia 76ers – Jared McCain | Duke | PG | Age: 19.8
26. Minnesota Timberwolves – D.J. Wagner | Kentucky | PG/SG | Age: 18.6
27. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers) – Oso Ighodaro | Marquette | PF/C | Age: 21.4
28. Denver Nuggets – Tristan da Silva | Colorado | SF/PF | Age: 22.6
29. Indiana Pacers (via Oklahoma City Thunder) – Melvin Ajinca | Saint Quentin | SG/SF | Age: 19.5
30. Boston Celtics – Baba Miller | Florida St. | PF | Age: 19.9

What do you think, BBN? Fair?