Thoughts on Reed Sheppard, Adou Thiero, and Tolu Smith

February 28^th, 2024

Yesterday, I took the time to watch Reed Sheppard and Kentucky take on Mississippi State in a very tough, competitive SEC basketball game last night. Mississippi State got off to a fast start due to the strong play of Tolu Smith and Josh Hubbard, which made things difficult for Kentucky in the first half. But Kentucky was able to make a furious rally due to the superb performance of Reed Sheppard and the other perimeter players on his team, and Sheppard put forth a terrific showing to help lead his team to get a close win on the road. Here are my thoughts on how Sheppard and other various prospects fared in this game.

Kentucky’s freshman point guard, Reed Sheppard scored 32 points, made 4 threes, and had 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, and he also made the game-winning, go-ahead basket to get his team the 91-89 win over Mississippi State. (Photo: Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press, via WUKY)

Reed Sheppard put forth a fantastic performance to lead his team to a hard-fought, road win over Mississippi State. He scored on a clutch, game-winning shot off the dribble in crunch time, he played a terrific all-around game to help his team get the victory.

Sheppard did a terrific job of shooting and scoring the basketball. He showed a knack for making threes off the catch and dribble, and he also ran quickly off a ball screen to make a three-pointer. He has a lot of range on his shot, and he really excelled at making threes from beyond the arc. He also would score on quick, crafty drives to the hoop. He is an agile guard that can finish plays with either hand, and he would score on crafty, acrobatic reverse layups. He also was able to make a smooth, step-back mid-range jumper. Sheppard also has a nice floater game, and he was able to split a double team to score on a clutch floater late in this game.

He also showed off good playmaking skills in this game. Sheppard was able to throw an assortment of accurate passes to set up scores for his teammates. He can throw accurate lobs to find open teammates on the move, and he would throw timely passes to find open shooters to rack up assists. He has good court vision, and he also was able to throw a nice, no-look pass to find a cutter to set up a score for his teammate that time. On the downside, he would sometimes try to fit balls into tight windows, and he would occasionally throw hasty, long passes into traffic that would get intercepted.

Also, Sheppard did a good job of rebounding the basketball, and he was able to haul in boards on both ends of the floor to help his team on the glass. He also played solid defense. He did a great job of blocking shots, as he was also able to swoop in to make an impressive shot block by swatting a corner three-point shot late in this game. He excelled at contesting and block shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint, and he also would quickly get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections. Every once in a while though, he would get beat off of cuts and off the dribble, which would lead his team to allow scores.

In general, Reed Sheppard had a superb showing to lead his team to a narrow road win over Mississippi State. He put forth a very impressive performance, as he made strong plays continually throughout the game, especially in the second half. He did a great job of making plays on both ends of the floor, and Sheppard is a skilled, extremely productive guard that could be a solid contender to go in the top 5 of the 2024 draft.

Adou Thiero also had a solid showing to help Kentucky get a win over Mississippi State. He is a very athletic, energetic swingman that showed off versatile scoring skills, and he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor.

Thiero showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays. He would catch lobs off of backdoor cuts to score on high-flying, alley-oop dunks, and he also was able to throw down another dunk off of a cut once. He also was able to score on an acrobatic, reverse layup off of an aggressive drive to the hoop. Thiero was able to make a smooth corner three rally on, but he struggled to make spot-up threes consistently off the catch.

He didn’t seem to make any noteworthy passes, but sometimes he would look to do too much when he would try to score off the dribble. On one play, he got tied up when trying to post up, which led him to commit a turnover. Though he wasn’t able to get many rebounds in this game, Thiero was able to get boards on both ends of the floor, as he was especially active at crashing the offensive glass.

He also played adequate defense in this game. Thiero showed a penchant for jumping passes to get steals and deflections, and he also was able to contest a mid-range shot to force a miss once. On the downside, sometimes he would get beat on moves off the dribble, which would lead him to give up open jump shots to his opponents. Another time, he fouled a three-point shooter due to over-aggressiveness.

In summary, Adou Thiero played very well, as he especially thrived at making hustle plays to help his team get the win in this game. He is an underrated prospect that could end up being a solid role player in the NBA.

Tolu Smith also had a solid showing in his team’s loss to Kentucky. He is a strong, fairly athletic big man that primarily excelled at scoring and rebounding in the paint. He showed a solid ability to score out of the post. He would get deep position and use drop step moves and would dribble in to score around the basket, and he showed solid strength, footwork, and scoring touch to do so. Sometimes though he would miss around the basket, as he would sometimes rush his shots. He also excelled at scoring on hustle plays, as he was able to score off of put backs and cuts.

On the other hand, he was fairly turnover prone. For the positives, Smith is an unselfish player that can pass out of the post. Sometimes though, he would be inaccurate with his passes, which would lead to turnovers. He also did a good job of rebounding the basketball.

He also seemed to play adequate defense in this game. On one play, Smith was able to run in to intercept a pass to get a steal. Overall, Smith excelled at scoring and rebounding in the paint to help his team in this game. He’ll need to extend his shooting range and improve his passing ability, but he is a mobile big man whose ability to make plays in the interior could enable him to be a second round pick in the 2024 draft.

Josh Hubbard had a strong showing to help lead his team in his team’s tough loss to Kentucky. He is an agile, skilled 5-10 freshman combo guard that thrived as a shooter and scorer on offense, particularly from beyond Thea rec. He showed a knack for making threes both off the catch and dribble, and Hubbard really excelled at making deep pull-up threes from way out. He also was able to draw three free throws on a pull-up three. Plus, he showed a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble as well as on pull-up, mid-range jumpers. Sometimes though, he would take tough, rushed shots, as he ended up having a couple of them blocked at times.

As a playmaker, he looked to be fairly average. He didn’t look to pass the basketball often, but he showed that he can get to anywhere he wanted to on the floor. On one play though, he threw an inaccurate pass that sailed out of bounds. Also, Hubbard was able to chip in to get his fair share of boards. He also played adequate defense. Hubbard is an active defender that would apply significant ball pressure make things difficult for opposing ball handlers. He was able to poke a ball away to help his team get a steal, and he also tied up an opposing ball handler to nearly get another. On the other hand, every once in a while, he would get beat off the dribble, which would lead his team to allow scores.

Overall, Hubbard played well in his team’s loss to Kentucky. He is an agile, skilled combo guard that can shoot and score the basketball. He will need to show NBA teams that he can reliably run the point at higher levels and guard taller, upper-echelon opponents, but his ability to make shots could enable him to make his way to the NBA someday.

D.J. Wagner also played well in his team’s win over Mississippi State. He is a speedy, very athletic combo guard that thrived at making plays in this game, especially as a shooter and scorer. He showed a knack for making spot-up threes off the catch, and he was able to make one from way out. He also excelled at scoring on quick drives to the hoop. Though he didn’t look to take many shots in this game, Wagner was very effective at making them on offense.

He also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills in this game. Wagner threw solid, drive and kick passes to set up scores for his teammates, and he was able to throw a wraparound pass to get the ball to a corner shooter once. Sometimes though, he would throw hasty passes that would go astray and lead to turnovers.

Though he didn’t get many boards in this game, Wagner was able to get a defensive rebound when he was on the floor. Also, Wagner was able to quickly jump a pass to get a steal defensively. Overall, D.J. Wagner had a solid showing in this game. While he didn’t look to take nearly as many shots as expected, he did a good job of playing team basketball, and his intriguing skill set combined with his vast athletic gifts and upside could enable him to be a solid pick for an NBA team in the mid to late first round range of the 2024 draft.

Antonio Reeves had a solid showing in his team’s win over Mississippi State. He is an athletic combo guard that did a good job of shooting and scoring the basketball to help his team get the victory. He showed a knack for scoring on quick, strong drives to the hoop and floaters, as he showed a solid first step to the basket, dribble moves, and shooting touch to do so. He struggled more to make three-pointers as he missed too many spot-up threes off the catch, but he was able to make a couple, and he also ran quickly off a ball screen to make a corner three once.

While he predominantly looked to score, Reeves would sometimes make the extra pass, and he was able to make a patient drive and kick pass to find an open shooter to notch an assist once. Overall, Reeves is an athletic, energetic combo guard that thrived as a scorer on the floor, and his ability to make shots could enable him to be a second round pick in the 2024 draft, as he could end up being reliable role player at the NBA level.

Mississippi State’s 6-7 senior forward, Cameron Matthews also played well in his team’s tough loss to Kentucky. He is a strong, athletic forward that excelled at making hustle plays, especially on the defensive end. Though he didn’t take many shots in this game, Matthews did a good job of scoring off the dribble, as he would sometimes use spin moves to score, was able to get an extra free throw on a strong drive once, and he also managed to to throw down a thunderous dunk another time after dribbling to the post. He did miss when looking to score on a quick cut, but overall Matthews was efficient as a scorer in this game.

He also passed and handled the ball well. Matthews did a good job of making an assortment of passes, and he also was adept at throwing bounce passes to find teammates in stride to rack up assists. Plus, he also rebounded the ball well, especially on the offensive end. He also played satisfactory defense in this game. Matthews is a rangy defender that would quickly jump passes to get steals and deflections. Sometimes though, he would lose track of his man to allow opponents to score on cuts. Another time, he was called for a reach-in foul when defending an opponent off the dribble.

Overall, Matthews played well in his team’s loss to Kentucky. He’ll need to be more assertive on offense and extend his range out to beyond the three-point range, but his versatility and skill set could allow him to make his way to the NBA someday.

Rob Dillingham had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Mississippi State. He struggled to consistently make shots, but he had some good moments as a scorer and passer to help his team get the victory. Dillingham showed a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble, especially when he would get all the way to the hoop. He also was able to run off a ball screen to make a quick corner three. However, he struggled to make threes consistently, and he especially struggled to make dribble, three-pointers.

As a playmaker, he looked to be about average. He was able to make some really nice passes, as he can throw accurate passes to find teammates in stride. He also was able to split a double team to find a cutter another time. However, sometimes he would throw inaccurate passes that would lead to turnovers. Another time, he dribbled around for too long when he would look to score, which led his team to commit a shot clock violation.

He also was able to get a board on each end of the floor to help his team chip in on the glass. Dillingham also played adequate defense in this game. He was able to poke a ball away to get a steal. On another play, he got quickly beat off the dribble, which led him to allow a score that time. Overall, Dillingham didn’t have his best game, but he was able to have some moments as a scorer and distributor in this game. He will need to be a more consistent player on offense, but his ability to make plays on that end of the floor could enable him to be a first round pick in the 2024 draft.

Zvonimir Ivisic played fairly well in his team’s win over Mississippi State. Though he didn’t shoot the ball well from the outside or make many shots, he showed potential as an interior player, and he also defended well when he was on the court.

Ivisic was able to throw down a thunderous dunk off of a roll to the rim. However, he missed in traffic off another roll, and he ended up missing all of his three-point shots from beyond the arc. He also displayed adequate playmaking skills. Ivisic was able to pass out of the post to get the ball to a shooter once. However, another time, he dropped a lead pass on a roll to the rim, which led to a team turnover that time.

Also, he was able to get his fair share of boards to help his team chip in on the glass. Ivisic also played solid defense in this game. He did a great job of blocking shots to help his team protect the paint due to possessing good length, timing, and instincts. He would contest shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint to force misses. He also managed to successfully draw a charge when defending a drive, and he also intercept a pas to get a steal once. However, sometimes he would play too aggressively on the defensive end, which would lead him to end up being out of position and to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Zvonimir Ivisic didn’t have his best game, but he defended well when he was on the court. He will need to be a more consistent shooter and improve his rebounding, but his defense, shot blocking skillls, and unique skill set, especially for a player his size could enable him to be an intriguing first round pick in the 2024 draft.

Aaron Bradshaw had a decent showing in his team’s win over Mississippi State. He is an athletic center that did a good job of finishing plays around the basket, as he scored on thunderous dunk, one off of a roll to the rim. He excelled at scoring as a roll man, and he also thrived as a shot blocker to help his team protect the paint. He would sometimes play too aggressively and be foul prone when defending around the basket, but generally Bradshaw played satisfactory defense in this game. He didn’t play much overall, but Bradshaw’s athleticism, length, and ability to make plays in the paint could enable him to be a second round pick in the 2024 draft.

Recently, Kentucky’s freshman forward, Justin Edwards had been coming off a couple of strong performances as he had been shooting the ball well lately, so I wanted to get another glimpse to see if he can continue to play well here. However, he didn’t have a particularly good game against Mississippi State, and he struggled to make plays in his team’s win against them.

He didn’t take many shots in this game, but Edwards was able to run in to score on a quick put back. However, he missed on a reverse layup off of an aggressive, baseline drive, and he also missed on an open corner three once. Edwards didn’t seem to make any noteworthy passes, and he over-dribbled once and got the ball poked away from him when driving to the hoop once that led him to commit a turnover.

He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. However, he struggled defensively in this game. Despite having good length, and athletic tools, Edwards tended to commit fouls and allow scores. Sometimes, he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores. He would play too aggressively, which would lead him to bite on pump fakes and commit reach-in fouls. Another time, he didn’t close out on an open three-point shooter, as he allowed his man to score on an open three-point basket.

Overall, Justin Edwards didn’t play very well, and he struggled in his team’s win over Mississippi State. He will need to be a more consistent shooter and defender in games, and he will have to be more comfortable in playing in half court sets. Still, with his vast athleticism and potential, Edwards could end up being an intriguing pick for an NBA team to select in the second round range of the 2024 draft.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Reed Sheppard and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.