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• NBA Draft: List of picks, trades
The Rockets entered the 2024 NBA Draft with the No. 3 and No. 44 overall picks.
No. 3 pick: Reed Sheppard
Sheppard was named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 and Kentucky Mr. Basketball in 2023. A consensus four-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, Sheppard started only five of his 33 games during his freshman season at Kentucky with averages of 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 28.9 minutes per game.
He led the nation in shooting 52.1% from three and made seven three-pointers in a game twice en route to being named SEC Freshman of the Year and national Freshman of the Year by USBWA and NABC. Sheppard’s father, Jeff, also played for Kentucky and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1988 NCAA Tournament before playing for the Hawks in the NBA.
At 6-foot-2, Sheppard is a fantastic catch-and-shoot player who can create his own shot at times and is a willing passer. He has elite defensive instincts, which allows him to jump passing lanes and poke the ball away from opposing ballhandlers, but he needs to get stronger before being considered a solid NBA defender. — RotoWire. Go deeper.
No. 44 pick: Pelle Larsson
- DRAFT TRADE: Rockets trade Larsson to Heat (via Hawks)