Kentucky

Kentucky basketball NBA draft streak likely to continue. Latest projections for UK players

Published

6 months ago

June 19, 2024

Kentucky basketball NBA draft streak likely to continue. Latest projections for UK players

LEXINGTON — Even with John Calipari moving on, a pair of streaks dating back to his first season as Kentucky’s coach in 2009-10 will continue at least one more year.

The Wildcats have had at least one player selected in the first round of every NBA draft dating to 2010. And UK has had at least two players picked in every draft beginning with the 2010 event.

Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, the freshman guard duo who provided instant offense for Kentucky off the bench last season, are widely expected to be lottery picks.

Where the other former Wildcats in this year’s draft pool — guards Justin Edwards and Antonio Reeves along with forward Tre Mitchell — might land is unsettled. Edwards and Reeves might hear their names called. They might not. And Mitchell is expected to go undrafted unless a team takes a late flier on him before the second round concludes.

One difference from previous drafts: The NBA decided to expand the two-round event to a two-day affair. The league traditionally had conducted both rounds on the same night. Instead, the 2024 NBA Draft will hold the first round June 26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The second round will take place June 27 at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York City.

Here’s a look at where each of the five former Kentucky players vying to find a place for themselves in the NBA are projected to go, per the latest mock drafts from a number of national outlets:

Reed Sheppard: Near-lock to be top-10 pick. And maybe even higher.

After a phenomenal freshman campaign, Sheppard, a UK legacy and in-state star from London, shouldn’t have to wait long to hear his name called in this year’s draft. In the most recent mock drafts from nine national outlets — USA TODAY, ESPN, The Athletic, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Yahoo Sports, The Ringer, SB Nation and Bleacher Report — Sheppard is projected to go no lower than sixth overall to the Charlotte Hornets (predicted by Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre) and as high as second to the Washington Wizards (where he’s slotted by CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish).

The most popular projection for Sheppard is the third overall selection, which is owned by the Houston Rockets. That’s the pick, and team, forecast for Sheppard by USA TODAY, ESPN, The Athletic, SB Nation, Bleacher Report and CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone.

The biggest question mark: whether Houston actually will keep the pick.

The mock drafts penned by Jonathan Givony (of ESPN) and Sam Vecenie (of The Athletic) both pointed out the league-wide perception that the Rockets will entertain trading the pick, whether it’s to move down in the draft to accumulate additional picks or using it as the centerpiece to bring in a star player to complement the wealth of youthful talent (Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, all of whom are 23 or younger) already on the roster.

Wherever Sheppard goes, he’ll bring elite shooting, instinctual playmaking and defensive savvy.

He left UK as the program’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage, converting 52.1% (75 for 144) of his attempts during the 2023-24 season. Sheppard also recorded 82 steals, the second most in a season in Kentucky’s illustrious history, six short of Rajon Rondo’s mark. He also dished out a team-high 4.5 assists per game and notched 23 blocks.

“Sheppard’s combination of shot creation, passing and sneaky athleticism makes him an intriguing prospect in the top half of the lottery,” wrote Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. “He plays the right way and his game translates well to the NBA with how productive he can be with or without the ball on offense.”

Rob Dillingham: Another likely lottery selection

Unlike Sheppard, whose projected draft slot has remained fairly steady between Nos. 3 and 6, there is far more fluctuation with Dillingham, an electric — if undersized — scoring machine. A handful of mock drafts have Dillingham going ahead of Sheppard. Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports even speculated Dillingham will go to the Wizards with the second overall pick. At the other end of the spectrum, The Ringer has him falling out of the lottery entirely, coming off the board with the 15th pick, held by the Miami Heat.

Dillingham never will be able to outrun his size: He measured 6-foot-1, on the dot, at the NBA draft combine. And he tipped the scales at just 164.2 pounds — the lightest player among those who attended the combine.

His stature never slowed him down with the Wildcats, though, as he averaged 15.2 points per game off the bench last season. Givony named him the top ball handler in the 2024 draft class.

“Dillingham’s jittery handle, burst and explosive change of gear makes it difficult for opponents to stay in front of him,” Givony wrote. “He has a wide array of elusive moves at his disposal, including herky-jerky crossovers, double crossovers, in-and-out dribbles, behind-the-back dribbles and more, which he combines with sharp changes of speed, accelerating from slow to fast with either hand to take the paint and finish with touch around the rim.”

Given the space-and-pace nature of the current NBA, Givony said Dillingham should be even more dangerous offensively at the pro level than he was at Kentucky.

Justin Edwards: Draft place uncertain for former five-star signee

Entering the 2023-24 season, Edwards was touted as potentially the top pick in the next NBA draft.

Now, it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll go in the draft. If he’s even picked at all.

ESPN and CBS Sports have him as a late first-round selection. The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, The Ringer and Bleacher Report predict he’ll be a second-rounder. USA TODAY, Fox Sports and Bleacher Report, which only released its projections for the 30 picks in the first round, didn’t include Edwards’ name among them.

But Edwards — the Philadelphia native started 31 of the 32 games he played in last season, averaging 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per outing — has his supporters.

“Edwards did not have the season many expected at Kentucky,” Givony wrote, “but he’s still worthy of consideration. … Standing 6-7 with some perimeter shooting acumen and upside to grow into after one season in college, Edwards ranks No. 28 in ESPN’s Top 100.”

Antonio Reeves: Senior scoring leader a second-round candidate?

Reeves ended his college career with a bang. Not only did he lead UK in points per game in 2023-24 but his average (20.2) also was the highest by any player in any season of Calipari’s tenure in Lexington. Reeves’ average was the best by a Wildcat since Jodie Meeks poured in 23.7 points per night during the 2008-09 season.

Reeves doesn’t appear in the first round of any mock draft conducted by a national publication. But ESPN, The Athletic and Bleacher Report all have him squeezing into the second round.

“He’s clearly one of the class’ top shotmakers,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, “who also has a good feel for how to get himself those catch-and-shoot, pull-up and floater chances within an offense’s flow.”

Tre Mitchell: Undrafted free-agent deal in the future for veteran forward?

Much like last year with Jacob Toppin, another former forward who transferred into Kentucky, Mitchell doesn’t appear in any two-round mock draft. Anywhere. The 2023 mock drafts proved prophetic, as Toppin went undrafted. But shortly after the event concluded, he signed a two-way contract with the New York Knicks.

Toppin went on to appear in nine games with the Knicks in 2023-24 and also played in 24 contests for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League.

Mitchell hopes he can approximate — or possibly surpass — Toppin’s post-Kentucky efforts.

ESPN ranks Mitchell 82nd on its list of top 100 prospects in the 2024 draft class.

Joining UK as a transfer from West Virginia prior to last season, Mitchell went on to play in 27 games (24 starts) in 2023-24, averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds to go along with 10.7 points and 2.6 assists in 30.2 minutes per contest.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

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Kentucky

Aaron Bradshaw got the last laugh against his former team

Published

54 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

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Aaron Bradshaw got the last laugh against his former team

For the first time since November 19, Aaron Bradshaw jogged over to the scorers table for Ohio State, checking in at the 17:46 mark of the first half. As his name was announced over the loudspeakers, though, a roar of boos echoed inside Madison Square Garden. Splitting up with Kentucky seemingly on good terms this offseason during the coaching change, the reaction was a bit of a surprise, but you never know the true emotions of a fanbase until they experience it in real time.

The former Wildcat’s response? Two quick buckets in two minutes, followed by the sixth 3-pointer of his career in the final segment of the first half. Bradshaw would close out with 11 points good for third on the team, shooting 5-6 overall and 1-2 from three with two rebounds, one assist and two steals in 18 minutes.

Given the circumstances and opponent, it was one of the best performances of his career — and undoubtedly a special one for him personally.

What was it like getting Bradshaw back in the lineup for the Buckeyes?

“Missing a 7-footer is always going to hurt,” Bruce Thornton, who finished with a game-high 30 points, said of Bradshaw. “Not a lot of people who are 7-foot are able to make tough shots in the mid-range. His energy and his passion, it’s very contagious. It rubs off on us. We’re just very thankful that he’s back.”

Bradshaw is now averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22.3 minutes per contest for the Buckeyes. He returned alongside Ques Glover, who had been previously dealing with an ankle injury and had been out since Nov. 15.

Those two were different-makers in Ohio State’s win with the Buckeyes’ bench outscoring the Wildcats 26-11 on Saturday.

“I thought it was a significant boost,” Jake Diebler said. “We felt like going into this year depth was going to be a real strength for us, and we haven’t had an opportunity to play with that depth much of this year. It’s also impacted practice and building because there’s still a lot of newness in this program, new staff, new players, new system, and it’s impacted our growth a little.”

You can see just how much that one meant to Bradshaw by watching OSU’s postgame celebration from the floor at MSG.

He wanted this one bad, and to his credit, he was a big reason for the win.

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Kentucky

Aaron Bradshaw will suit up against the Kentucky Wildcats

Published

9 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Aaron Bradshaw will suit up against the Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats are in New York City about to tip off against Ohio State in Madison Square Garden, and they will be facing a former Wildcat Aaron Bradshaw, who is taking the floor for the first time in a month. The Buckeyes get some much-needed help on the glass as a team that struggles rebounding.

The Buckeyes are a great shooting team, and getting Bradshaw back on the floor really helps compliment that by adding some size. Bradshaw has been held out since November 19 due to personal reasons. The Wildcats will still be without backup guard Kerr Kriisa, but last game out, a boost from starting point guard Lamont Butler in his return really helped.

Bradshaw will be coming off the bench for the Buckeyes, and may even play limited minutes given it will be his first game back. Kentucky will need to keep playing good defense against the threes on Saturday, as that and rebounding will be major keys. If the Buckeyes want to hang around, they will need to knock down shots.

It will be interesting to see how Bradshaw meshes in his first game back in month, and it’s clear they have been a little off without him. Mark Pope and the Wildcats will look to get a win on a big stage in Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Bradshaw will look to give Ohio State a major boost down low on the glass.

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Kentucky

KSR Gameday: No. 4 Kentucky vs. Ohio State in Madison Square Garden

Published

17 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

KSR Gameday: No. 4 Kentucky vs. Ohio State in Madison Square Garden

Good morning, folks! It’s Gameday once again for the Kentucky men’s basketball team. On today’s schedule? A matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-4) up in Madison Square Garden as part of the CBS Sports Classic. The No. 4 ranked Wildcats opened as a 5.5-point favorite on Friday but have since been bet up to an 8.5-point favorite. Considering Ohio State fans have a football team playing at home in the College Football Playoff this evening, MSG should be nothing but a sea of blue.

A key for Kentucky will be running Ohio State off the three-point line. The Buckeyes are 4-1 this season when hitting 10 or more made triples (the lone loss in overtime) and just 3-3 when under that mark. OSU hasn’t made at least 10 threes since Nov. 29. Freshman John Mobley Jr. is one of the best outside shooters in the country (53.6% on 5.1 three-point attempts per game) though. Bruce Thornton (14.8 PPG) and Devin Royal (15.6 PPG) will be tough to slow down.

But Ohio State is without Meechie Johnson (9.1 PPG) and Aaron Bradshaw‘s status is still uncertain as of this morning. The former Wildcat hasn’t played since Nov. 19. Kentucky will be the better team regardless of whether he plays or not though. Our Staff Predictions are nothing but double-digit wins for the ‘Cats across the board. Lamont Butler‘s ankle had another full week of good rest.

Make sure to enjoy this game a little bit more, BBN. Kentucky won’t play again for another 10 days after this one. Let Kerr Kriisa get you excited for what should be a fun night of hoops “in Big Apple”.

Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Television: CBS (Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery, Jenny Dell)
Streaming: Paramount+
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 158 or 191
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tipoff, or join the conversation on KSBoard.

3 new portal commits

It was another busy day in the world of the transfer portal. Kentucky football received three commitments yesterday, two of them happening back-to-back. Alabama WR Kendrick Law (1 year of eligibility), Nebraska RB Dante Dowdell (2 years), and Wyoming DT Jaden Williams (1 year) will all join the program in 2025.

All three are quality additions to the roster. Law is a former Top 100 high school recruit with track athlete speed, Dowdell ran for 614 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season as a sophomore, and Williams committed to UK despite having a Georgia visit lined up for this weekend. Not a bad Friday haul in the portal for the staff.

That puts Kentucky at 11 committed transfer prospects so far this offseason, a group that ranks 12th in the country and fifth in the SEC, per On3.

OG Josh Braun
OT Alex Wollschlaeger
OL Wallace Unamba
LB Landyn Watson
EDGE Sam Greene
WR J.J. Hester
QB Zach Calzada
TE Henry Boyer
WR Kendrick Law
RB Dante Dowdell
DT Jaden Williams

Belmont gives Kentucky WBB a scare

It was a Christmas-themed night in Memorial Coliseum on Friday, but Belmont was trying to bring some coal to Kentucky women’s basketball this holiday season. Belmont even led 39-33 at the break. But a 20-point second half from star point guard Georgia Amoore fueled the No. 16 Wildcats (10-1) past the Bruins 84-78. She finished with 23 points, five assists, and five rebounds while shooting 7-13 from deep.

Amelia Hassett (16 points, 11 rebounds), Dazia Lawrence (15 points, five assists, five rebounds), Teonni Key (12 points, five rebounds), and Clara Strack (12 points, five rebounds) all finished in double-figures for the ‘Cats. UK shot 49.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep, both the second-highest marks of the season.

Click here for a full recap. Make sure to check out KSR’s Rapid Reaction from the win while you’re at it.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Andrew Carr gets a New York slice

One of my favorite bits from The Office is early on in the show when Michael Scott visits New York. He hypes up his favorite “local” pizza joint, only for the camera to pan to him running towards a Sbarro. A classic moment. Kentucky forward Andrew Carr recreated that hilarious scene while in New York with his teammates.

Flawlessly executed, Andrew.

After Notre Dame took care of Indiana 27-17 last night in the first-ever College Football Playoff game, we’ve got three more on the schedule today. The FCS Championship semifinals are also on the docket if you’re a true football sicko. But the CFP is all any will be talking about today (other than a big Kentucky basketball win, of course).