Sheppard shot a wild 52.1 percent from three during his lone season with the Wildcats, but as a 6-foot-2 guard, his presumed limitations as a defender led him to slip behind high-upside prospects Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1 overall to the Atlanta Hawks ) and Alexandre Sarr (No. 2 to the Washington Wizards ).

His loss was the Houston Rockets gain, however, as it appears the diminutive sharpshooter could end up being one of the most valuable picks in the 2024 class.

He’s already displayed his strengths at this year’s Summer League, and he’s been one of the standout performers in Las Vegas.

Bronny James was supposed to headline the first day of the Las Vegas Summer League, but Sheppard had other ideas.

Just as he did at Kentucky, he scored at a high clip with high efficiency.

Sheppard finished with 21 points (13 more than Bronny) on 52.9 percent shooting from the field (9-for-17) and 66.7 percent from three (4-for-6). He also had a team-high five assists and added three blocks and a steal.

He was as advertised in his first taste of NBA action.