[Cactus Jack]

I don't hate that comparison or JJ Reddick or the guy that could shoot the 3 for the Atlanta Hawks when they were in the deep playoff runs

JJ Reddick is not a good comparison IMO. Sheppard is two inches shorter and is nowhere near the shooter that he was. Redick was a career 91+% free throw shooter in college compared to Sheppard's 83+%. I don't know that he's the type of scorer that Redick is either. JJ played collegiately for four seasons and shot a lower overall percentage from three, but he was taking around twice as many shots and had a way higher usage rate, even as a freshman.

Redick played in the NBA for 15 years and has some franchise records for the Clippers and 76ers. On his podcast, someone asked him if he could play in the NBA right now and how many he could get (he retired in 2021). He answered with something to the effect of "my body is too old and injured to give you a full season, but if you gave me two weeks to get in shape I could get you 15 points in 25 minutes in a week night game [but I'd give up 18]". He wasn't saying it braggingly, and I truly believe he could get you 15+ in that situation.

Not all negative because I think Reed has better PG skills, will have a higher assist to turnover ratio, and is a better leaper (which can offset Redick's height advantage on blocks, rebounds, and even steals), but I don't know that either will ever be a substantially better defender than the other, especially with the NBA's spacing.

If Sheppard is able to get into the 205-215 lb. range while still enhancing his quickness, he's probably a much better on-ball defender, but right now, I see him as a negative on-ball defender who is a plus help defender at the college level.

Specialists can have extremely long and successful professional careers. I'm also a bit of a sucker for players who do one thing REALLY well. I once thought that Jahlil Okafor was going to be as good or better than Karl Anthony Towns if he found himself in the right situation due to his high percentages at the rim and most teams having moved away from traditional bigs that could guard him. Lesson learned there.

Still, I think any franchise in this year's draft takes Redick's 15 years as a solid role player that can start on a playoff team and doesn't look back.

I hope that Sheppard is great, but I think he'll have to improve on a lot of things both offensively and defensively, plus everything else (like fit with the franchise
that picks him) would have to break extremely well for him to retire with that type of career.