Reed Sheppard shows out with 42-inch vertical jump at 2024 NBA Draft Combine
Reed Sheppard is already one of the 2024 NBA Draft’s top prospects, and he’s only strengthening his case as a top-five selection with one crazy impressive measurement at the NBA Draft combine.
As the combine unfolds this week, players are going through various measurements and testing, one of the most important being the vertical jump, which is always a key metric for gauging a player’s raw athleticism. Well, Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard certainly wowed scouts with his leaping ability, posting a 42.0 inch vertical at the combine.
Watch him rise:
The Field of 68, a college hoops Twitter account, posted a graphic from the combine showing off Sheppard’s incredibly high vertical measurement, which clears everyone else on the current board by at least two inches. Take a look:
So, this white man can jump? Because that is an extraordinarily impressive figure in the vertical leap for an NBA prospect. It doesn’t appear that testing is all the way complete yet, and another player could very well pass Sheppard, but history suggests few, if any, guys will surpass that number.
Just looking at last year’s combine, Julian Phillips from Tennessee recorded the highest vertical at 43.0 inches, just one inch higher than Sheppard. The second-highest leaper was Mojave King, who posted the exact same 42.0 inch vertical as Sheppard, while no other player jumped higher than 40.5 inches.
Frankly, this is a massive development for Sheppard’s draft stock. Sure, he’s widely considered a top 10 lock, but with a vertical that high, NBA teams will absolutely move him up their board, at least a little bit, if not a lot. It’s pretty rare to find a player with the best three-point shooting percentage among draft prospects who is also the highest leaper.
He’s got the elite, ELITE, shot-making ability, highlight reel assists, blocks and steals in almost every game, and is heralded as one of the higher-IQ players to put on a Kentucky uniform under John Calipari — and he’s still just 19 years old.
NBA folks have called this draft one of the worst in recent memory, with no surefire stars. Well, perhaps they’ve just been overlooking the obvious next star Kentucky guard sitting right in front of them.