Reed Sheppard quickly emerged throughout NBA Summer League as one of the best prospects from the 2024 draft class and that came with his IQ and overall stat-stuffing ability.
He was named to the All-Summer League First Team after averaging 20.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game. He also shot 50 percent from the field.
Not only did he showcase his ability to play off the ball, he also was extremely effective as a ball handler and shot creator.
After all of the dust settled from Vegas, what are NBA executives and scouts saying? It's been nothing but positive for the former Kentucky guard.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo spoke with multiple people within numerous organizations to get their feedback and it was an astounding response -- Sheppard will be the top player from this draft class.
Sheppard not only received the most amount of votes for the draft's best pick, he also received the most votes for Rookie of the Year projections.
"Sheppard is going to help Houston right away, and I think he has a chance to be an All-Star down the road," one high-ranking Eastern Conference executive told them.
It's obvious expectations for the 3rd overall selection would be high. But it's becoming more evident that Sheppard will be ready to make an impact on day one -- something that wasn't as clear just a few months -- or weeks -- ago.
"Sheppard stood out in Las Vegas, looking comfortable as the Rockets' full-time point guard (after splitting duties off the bench in college)," they wrote. "The buzz in Las Vegas and optimism around his game was reflected in the voting."
In total, 20 NBA executives and scouts were interviewed throughout the process. Following a draft class that was expected to be 'bad', it's turning out some of the key pieces near the top of the draft will be able to be impactful players as rookies.