Hype for Rob Dillingham continues to grow heading into NBA Draft

What will the Atlanta Hawks do with the No. 1 overall pick when the 2024 NBA Draft begins on Wednesday night? That is the million-dollar question. No one seems to know the answer. Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham is one of many prospects that will be constantly discussed when ESPN’s television coverage starts. The microwave score is unlikely to come off the board first but could be a top-five pick.

The hype for the one-and-done guard continues to grow. The Ringer‘s Bill Simmons, J.Kyle Mann, and Kevin O’Connor believe Dillingham could be the most fun player in this draft class. That could immediately show up at the NBA Summer League and as a rookie.

“This guy is probably the most fun player in the draft,” said Bill Simmons.

In his only season in college basketball, Rob Dillingham averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on .475/.444/.796 shooting splits in only 23.3 minutes per game. There are legitimate defensive concerns but Dillingham is an electric scorer who will have some super high moments as a pro. Do not be surprised if the hype continues to grow after the draft.

Reed Sheppard has a legit shot at going No. 1 overall

Another Kentucky guard who John Calipari brought off the bench is also getting a lot of steam heading into the NBA Draft. On the same episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor believes Reed Sheppard is the top player in this class. There are size concerns but there is enough there to believe that the one-and-done could end up becoming the best pro in this calls.

“He’s only a quarter of an inch shorter than Stephen Curry, his wingspan is only a quarter of an inch shorter than Stephen Curry, he weighed in the same as Steph when Steph was at the combine,” O’Connor said. “Steph obviously went up to 190-195 pounds. So he’s small but he’s not much smaller than Stephen Curry, so I think I think in the right situation and right environment you’re talking about a guy who had five steals five times this season.”

“I think Shepherd offers enough intangibles on defense that yes, even though he’s smaller and yes, even though he’s gonna get targeted, environment’s everything. And ultimately if he lands on the Spurs and you got Victor [Wembanyama] back there and with other long-arm defenders, I don’t know how much that’s gonna matter when you talk about a guy that hit over 50% of his threes this year.”

The San Antonio Spurs own the No. 4 and No. 8 picks in the first round. The Western Conference franchise could be the perfect landing spot for Sheppard. But that’s only if the Kentucky product is still on the board after the first three picks.