4 NBA Draft prospects with most to gain, 3 with most to lose in NCAA Tournament
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Most to gain: Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
Over the last few weeks, there hasn't been a player in college basketball who has risen in NBA Draft boards more than Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard. Just last week, he was being projected to go No. 1 overall in some NBA Mock Drafts. Even as this year's draft class has been labeled as "weak," the strides that Sheppard has made this season are pretty absurd. However, when you look at the impact that he has on both ends of the floor, perhaps his leap isn't all that surprising.
Sheppard has averaged 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds per game this season on 54 percent shooting from the field and 53 percent shooting from 3-point range - all while doing the majority of this coming off the bench for the Wildcats. If he can put together another strong string of games in the NCAA Tournament, there's no question that being a possible No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft is only going to become more and more real.
Even as some draft experts have come around to the idea of Sheppard being a top 5 pick in this year's NBA Draft, there has still been some strong pushback. However, a dominant performance on college basketball's biggest stage will only cement his status as one of the best prospects in this year's draft class.
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