The No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats saw their 2024 NCAA Tournament run end after just one game, falling to the No. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies 80-76 Thursday. The Wildcats never got going offensively and failed to contain Golden Grizzlies guard Jack Gohlke, who made 10 three-pointers to spearhead the upset. Kentucky’s star freshmen Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, who are expected to be taken high in the 2024 NBA Draft, struggled in this contest. Here’s how the loss impacts their stock ahead of the draft process.
Reed Sheppard
One of the big things going for Sheppard was his poise and level of calmness as a freshman. In fact, he was even in the conversation to be the No. 1 pick at one point. Those claims seem far-fetched now, and he’ll be fortunate to remain in contention for a top 10 selection. Sheppard looked out of sorts for most of the first half, taking just one shot. He committed a few silly turnovers, although his defense on Gohlke was passable. He finally managed to hit a three-point shot, something he did with ease over the course of the regular season. Every time it felt like he gained some confidence, he would disappear.
If you’re going to be a point guard at any level and excel, you have to be aggressive. Sheppard didn’t show that at any point, something NBA personnel will need an explanation for. Perhaps he was overwhelmed by the stage. Perhaps John Calipari should’ve played him more. For a player who was averaging 12.5 points per game on 53/52/83 shooting splits, managing just three points on 1-5 shooting looks awful.
It’s easy to overreact to one game, and Sheppard still has upside as a freshman. However, his lack of aggression could be mistaken for lethargy and his lack of production could be attributed to being confused by Oakland’s zone defense. That is something he has to avoid in the NBA.
NBA stock: Down by a decent margin
Rob Dillingham
If Sheppard is to blame for failing to attempt to solve the zone, Dillingham is at fault for trying to punch his way through it despite not being successful on the first several instances. Shockingly, the guard only have one turnover despite his repeated attempts to drive past multiple defenders and force shots. Dillingham contributed in other ways, grabbing six rebounds to go with his 10 points. Eventually, he did realize he was doing things wrong and tried to get the ball to Antonio Reeves, who finished the game with 27 points.
Dillingham’s biggest flaw here is the lack of innovation or change in approach. For me personally, I’d rather see my point guard do what Dillingham did instead of what Sheppard did. Being aggressive and trying to force the defense to adapt to you is more likely to work than simply giving the ball up every time you’re in a tough spot. However, Dillingham might’ve taken it one or two steps too far.
NBA stock: Down slightly
I do think it’s important to not blame Sheppard or Dillingham for this loss. While they didn’t play well, they were still better equipped to handle Oakland’s zone than Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner. Wagner went 0-4 from deep and missed an easy dunk late in the second half which could’ve potentially woken Kentucky up. Edwards managed 10 points but was nonexistent on the defensive end and boards. Calilpari didn’t manage his guards correctly, even though he’s had this rotation for most of the season. Sheppard and Dillingham should’ve played more, especially when it became clear Kentucky was in a true fight.