Deep dive into the most popular draft prospects for the Pistons

2. Reed Sheppard - University of Kentucky

Strengths: 3PT Shooting & Vision Weaknesses: Self-Creation & Point of Attack Defense

As a 6-foot-3, 187lb guard, Reed Sheppard is the ideal 3-and-D player coming out of the draft, and would add a great deal of spacing to any team that selects him.

Averaging 12.5 points per game on 53.6 percent shooting from the field, 52 percent from three, and 83 percent from the free throw line, Sheppard is one of, if not the best, shooter in this draft.

He was fifth in the NCAA in true shooting percentage, at near 70 percent, and could shoot efficiently in nearly any situation. If it was off the dribble, Sheppard shot 52 percent, if it was from short/mid-range, he shot 53 percent and if it was as the pick-and-roll ball handler, he shot 56 percent. The ability to knock down a shot is not a question in his game, but these numbers are inevitably going to drop once he goes up against professional defenses and finds himself in new offensive systems.

Outside of shooting, Sheppard would make a great secondary playmaker, as he is a natural passer in the offensive flow. He can run the pick-and-roll if necessary and has shown great vision when doing so as a Wildcat. He has tremendous transition passing upside, which puts a lot of pressure on defenses, and in the Pistons case, would help increase the fastbreak opportunities. As a primary shooter and secondary playmaker, Sheppard would open the floor up a ton next to Cade Cunningham.

As a shorter two-guard, Sheppard needs to improve in his ability to create his own shot. As mentioned above, he is very efficient off of the dribble, but he isn't very shifty and lacks the handles to create space via separation. He doesn't have a ton of variety when handling the ball, and for the most part when he is trying to create for himself it looks a little predictable.

On top of the lack of handling, Sheppard isn't great when it comes to putting pressure on the rim. He certainly can move off the ball and get himself in the paint via cuts or get himself open, but when handling the ball, don't expect him to drive to the rim very often. On the other end of the floor, Sheppard can improve on his point of attack defense. When up against ballhandlers, he often avoids contact which leads to separation and potential open pull-ups. He also takes wide angles instead of closing out to stop the ball. For teams that want primary shooters to add space and occasionaly make plays, these areas for improvement shouldn't be too alarming