Funny how you don't mention that Steph Curry shot .41 from 3 in college, whereas Sheppard shot .52. That is a massive difference, and .52 from 3 on over 4 shots a game is amazing.
6'3" with a 6'3" wingspan. Guards with short wingspans in the NBA have a horrendous track record when facing NBA level competition, especially if they play a large role on offense (Trae Young). You do have some guards his size and wingspan that made it work through sheer effort and grit, like TJ McConnell and Matthew Dellavedova, but those guys weren't exactly offensive powerhouses shouldering a heavy load.
The volume is a reasonable point, but he shot 83% from the line too. Also big difference sharing a ball with other NBA players and playing against the SEC vs. Curry playing in the Southern Conference. Also, not sure about "questionable at best" athleticism. He's never going to be in a dunk contest or anything but we aren't talking about like a Kyle Korver. He's got decent athleticism. Guessing he'll test somewhat similar to Donte Divincenzo if we're sticking to white guy comparisons.
If we're not trading the pick pls take Cody Williams. 6'8 SG who is a great defender, elite shooter and good all around player he is basically a younger Brandon Miller.
I'm going to have to get deeper into this and watch more tape on the top guys, because I didn't really expect us to land a top 4 pick so I wasn't looking into those guys quite as closely as the ones I thought would be in the 5-10 range. This might change so don't hold me to it--my knee-jerk reaction is Risacher if he's on the board. His stock has fallen lately because he went into a shooting slump late in the season, but he still shot 42% overall including both his EuroCup and LNB Pro A games. There was a window where he was being talked about as the #1 pick, and I think his overall skillset is exactly what we need to be Dillon's heir apparent. I see him as having #2 option, two-way player potential, and I think his floor is solid as well. Reed Sheppard is a guy who I like the fit and wouldn't mind too much reaching for him at #3, but you can't deny the size/athleticism limitations and I really think he'd have to shoot like Steph Curry to be more than an elite roleplayer (which he just might do! You never know). Clingan would be my third possibility. Walker Kessler type of dude. He is a great defensive player. But I do fear he would just be a backup center for us and never anything more due to Sengun's presence. He would provide great depth value over the course of his rookie contract though, he should be ready to contribute right away and we can just ship Adams out at the trade deadline or next offseason. Guys I don't particularly want--Topic and Williams (we have too many non-shooters as it is), Dillingham (doesn't play D), anybody from the G-League (track record has been too bad lately), Knecht or Castle (too much of a reach), Edey (LMAO)
Cody Williams, yes. He shot only when wide open, like WIDE wide open. His volume numbers were comparable to Usman Garuba's in our 2022-2023 season. Very small sample size. I don't see him as a shooter right now, I see him more as a potential shooter.
If you think that, you need to work on your analytical abilities. I swear, I hate people who say “how could you compare X prospect to Y star????”
To be fair though, no one saw Curry becoming one of the greatest players of all time, let alone the greatest shooter of all time.
If you aren't comparing them why did you even mention Curry shot 41% in college? How is that relevant unless you want to compare Shepphard and Curry? The reality is there is no correlation between Curry's college percentages and his NBA percentages. He became the goat Shooter whereas multiple prospects have shot better than him in college.
