With the No. 26 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers took one of the draft's biggest late risers, Belmont guard Ben Sheppard.
Sheppard was nowhere to be seen on mock drafts at the end of the college basketball season, so he took the chance of playing the five-on-five scrimmages at the combine. After playing extremely well, scouts went back to see his numbers and film at mid-major Belmont and realized they had stumbled upon something. An elite 3-point shooter with a cerebral feel for the game and defensive chops, Sheppard ticks many boxes for a modern-day role player.
He's by no means perfect, though. He's one of the older prospects in the draft and doesn't possess outstanding size for his position. Plus, he has few reps against top-end competition, unlike many of his peers. Still, outside the top of the draft, Sheppard's seamless transition into the NBA could be one of the safer scenarios after he showed out this spring.
Bio
Position: Guard
School: Belmont
College experience: Senior
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 195 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-8
Max vertical: 35.5 inches
2022-23 stats with Belmont
| GP | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | REB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 47.5 | 41.5 | 68.4 | 5.2 | 2.9 | 18.8 |
Strengths
- Excellent 3-point shooter on and off the ball on major volume.
- Solid and improving defender with good quickness and anticipation.
- Takes great care of the ball, an able passer who avoids serious mistakes.
- Showed noticeable growth every season at Belmont, all capped off with a tremendous showing at the combine.
Weaknesses:
- Doesn't have elite size or burst.
- Has bizarre inconsistencies at the free-throw line despite hitting multiple threes in the same game oftentimes.
- One of the older prospects in the first-round discussion.
- Hasn't played against much high-level competition in college and struggled when he did.
NBA comparable: Desmond Bane. Much like Sheppard, Bane was a late riser in the 2020 draft process while being a college veteran thanks to his elite shooting ability and intelligence on the floor, despite not being overly athletic or long. Bane dramatically improved on his strengths and is flourishing in the NBA - not an impossible pathway for Sheppard and his own rapid ascendance.
