2024 NBA draft grades: Rockets earn high marks for Reed Sheppard pick
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 26: Reed Sheppard arrives prior to the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 26, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard, who connected on than 52% of his 3-pointers during one very efficient collegiate season with the Wildcats, is now a member of the Rockets. The 20-year-old was Houston’s draft choice at No. 3 overall in the 2024 first round.
A 6-foot-2 sharpshooter, Sheppard joins a Houston squad in need of more 3-point shooting. In the recently completed 2023-24 NBA season, the Rockets ranked near the top 10 in 3-point attempts, yet they ranked among the 10 worst teams in accuracy.
With that in mind, media members covering the NBA draft widely praised Rockets general manager Rafael Stone for his work this week.
After drafting Sheppard in the first round, Stone traded Houston’s second-round choice to Atlanta for 2022 first-round pick AJ Griffin and signed Oregon big man N’Faly Dante — projected by many as a second-round selection before the draft — as an undrafted free agent.
Read on for media analysis of Houston’s 2024 draft moves.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: 2024 NBA draft grades: Rockets earn high marks for Reed Sheppard pick