The NBA Summer League wraps up tonight with the championship game between Memphis and Miami. While there aren’t any former Kentucky Wildcats on those rosters, the Cats are still the talk of the town in Sin City, specifically Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.
Dillingham finished his Summer League run strong on Sunday, putting up a game-high 25 points and 12 assists in Minnesota’s win over Orlando. After four somewhat lackluster games, Dillingham was electric vs. the Magic, showing that he’s worthy of a top-ten draft pick. He was 11-18 from the floor, including 3-7 from three, and was just as good at distributing the ball, with a dozen dimes.
The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski wrote that Dillingham’s performance on Sunday was a reminder of why Minnesota traded up to take him at No. 8.
But it wasn’t just the numbers. It was how Dillingham compiled them that stood out. The quick-trigger, pull-up 3s that made him so dangerous at Kentucky started to fall. What excited the Timberwolves in their scouting of Dillingham even more than his shotmaking was his ability to break down a defense and find teammates for easy and explosive offense.
Reviewing his college video, it was conceivable to think that he may already be one of the best lob throwers on the Wolves roster, an essential addition for a team that features Rudy Gobert on offense. Karl-Anthony Towns and Conley have proven adept at connecting with Gobert on those plays, but outside of that, the Wolves don’t have many options for that connection now that Kyle Anderson is with Golden State.
Dillingham showed versus the Magic that he has it in his arsenal.
Reed Sheppard did not play in Houston’s final game, having more than proved himself in his first four outings. Sheppard finished the Summer League with averages of 20.0 points, 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 steals per game. He was most impressive in his first two games, putting up 23 points, including four threes, in his debut and 22 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals a few days later.
Reed is at or near the top of almost every list of Summer League standouts. Practically half of ESPN’s Summer League roundtable is about him.
From the start of summer league, Reed Sheppard looked the part. I was high on Sheppard’s potential during the draft process, and he showed with his play in Las Vegas why the Rockets should be very excited about his future in Houston — where he could be a perfect fit alongside Amen Thompson as a long-term backcourt tandem. If it weren’t for the crowded Houston roster and rotation, he would be my clear pick for Rookie of the Year.
Sheppard looked confident and performed above his size of 6-foot-2, 182-pounds. He averaged 20 points, 5.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds, and he shot 50% from the field. But he surprised on the defensive end, averaging 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks. Obviously, things will get much tougher at the next level, but Sheppard looks up for the task. And if summer league is any indication, the Kentucky product is going to be a fan favorite.
As the young Rockets look to take the next step, Reed Sheppard will have an immediate role. He has looked comfortable since the start of summer league, finding his shooting spots with ease and acting as floor general. These tools will earn him minutes in Houston in support of the Rockets’ young core of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun
It’s obvious at this point that Houston needs to play Sheppard. His ability to space the floor will be crucial, and he’ll operate with less playmaking workload thanks to the number of creators on the floor around him. I’m not saying he’ll be a starter, but what we saw from him in Vegas portends well for his ability to help the Rockets immediately.
Kyle Mann, who will host KSR with Drew Franklin on Thursday, went to Vegas to cover the Summer League for The Ringer. A longtime Kentucky fan, Mann knows all about Reed and Rob; his joy at watching others discover their talent is contagious. I loved his description of the crowd in Vegas during one of Reed’s games.
For someone who was that productive without acting as a high-volume offensive hub at the college level, Reed has always blown me away with the overwhelmingly sane way he plays. I think that’s in large part because his batting average for making the right decision, even if that decision is relatively uncomplicated, is just exceedingly high, and a lot of those traits showed up immediately in Vegas. Each time he drilled a 3 or dropped a dime to a cutter you could feel a wave of surprise wash over the arena, a sort of amused conversion to belief as they witnessed this clean-cut kid who looks like a paper boy from a ’50s sitcom put on a show.
After his run in Vegas, Reed is now a trendy pick for NBA Rookie of the Year. Following the draft, he was fifth in ROY odds at 10-1 behind Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick; Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick; Stephon Castle, the No. 4 pick, and Matas Muzelis, the No. 11 pick. Now, Reed is the second betting favorite on FanDuel behind Zach Edey with 7-1 odds.
Reed, Rob, and the rest of the NBA Cats tip off the 2024-25 season in late October. Here are the averages for all of the former Cats in the Summer League.
| PLAYER | GP | MIN | PTS | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3 PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | +/- |
| Reed Sheppard (Houston) | 4 | 33 | 20 | 8.3 | 16.5 | 50 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 27.8 | 2.3 | 3 | 75 | 0.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 3 | 4 |
| Kevin Knox II (Golden State) | 4 | 23.4 | 17.5 | 5.8 | 12.5 | 46 | 2.3 | 6.8 | 33.3 | 3.8 | 4 | 93.8 | 1.8 | 6.8 | 8.5 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Chris Livingston (Milwaukee) | 5 | 27.7 | 14.8 | 5.8 | 10.8 | 53.7 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 42.9 | 2 | 3.2 | 62.5 | 2 | 6.6 | 8.6 | 2 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.2 | -14 |
| Rob Dillingham (Minnesota) | 5 | 29.8 | 13.6 | 5.4 | 15 | 36 | 1.6 | 5.2 | 30.8 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 54.5 | 1 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 7.6 | 3.4 | 1 | 0.4 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Jacob Toppin (NY Knicks) | 2 | 25.8 | 12 | 5 | 9.5 | 52.6 | 1 | 1.5 | 66.7 | 1 | 2.5 | 40 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 2 |
| Antonio Reeves (New Orleans) | 5 | 22.2 | 11.8 | 4.2 | 10.2 | 41.2 | 1.6 | 5 | 32 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 69.2 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | -4 |
| Oscar Tshiebwe (Indiana) | 5 | 18.5 | 11.6 | 5 | 8.2 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 44.4 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 8.6 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2 | 1 |
| TyTy Washington Jr. (Milwaukee) | 4 | 18.5 | 11.3 | 4.3 | 9.8 | 43.6 | 1 | 2.8 | 36.4 | 1.8 | 2 | 87.5 | 0.3 | 1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | -9 |
| Keion Brooks Jr. (New Orleans) | 4 | 21.1 | 9.8 | 2.5 | 7.5 | 33.3 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 9.1 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 100 | 2 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.5 | -5 |
| Justin Edwards (Philadelphia) | 5 | 20.3 | 8.6 | 3.6 | 8 | 45 | 0.6 | 3 | 20 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 66.7 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2 |
| Tre Mitchell (OKC) | 3 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 3.3 | 60 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 57.1 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 28.6 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.3 | 0 |
