Antonio Reeves NBA draft: Will the Kentucky guard get drafted?

Antonio Reeves has been making waves in college basketball by shouldering the load of the Kentucky Wildcats' offense.

Due to the team's basketball heritage and the success of its alumni in the NBA (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Devin Booker, to name a few), Reeves is capturing the attention of basketball fans and scouts.

The six-foot-five guard from Chicago, Illinois, had a successful high school career for Shadow Mountain High School (Phoenix, Arizona) and Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois), attracting D1 mid-major scholarships.

Antonio Reeves eventually chose to play for Dan Muller at Illinois State, being a key contributor in three years with the Redbirds. He showed his offensive talent in his junior year, averaging 20.1 points before transferring to Kentucky.

The fifth-year senior is averaging an impressive 19.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Lexington, Kentucky-based squad, and leading the Wildcats in scoring this college basketball season. But will it be enough to get him picked in the 2024 NBA Draft in New York?

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Will Antonio Reeves get drafted in the NBA?

Based on the eye test and statistics, Antonio Reeves is an excellent 'catch and shoot' shooter and can also hit off the dribble jumpers, thanks to his smooth handle. He averages an impressive 43.7% from the college 3-point line.

Kentucky likes to set him up in their offense by letting the shooting guard go through screens, hitting pull-up jumpers off the catch or finishing using floaters in the paint via straight-line drives.

Weighing approximately 195 pounds, his age - 23 - may be a concern for NBA teams looking to draft in the lottery of the first round, as he's closer to his prime than most rookies. Historically, younger players are the typical pick in that range because of their higher upside.

In the 2023 NBA Draft, only four of the 30 first-round draft picks were seniors, while there were none picked in the lottery.

Despite leading the bulk of the scoring load, and for Kentucky, his six freshman teammates (Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, D.J. Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards and Zvonimir Ivisic) are getting more attention from scouts.

Nevertheless, the Kentucky Wildcats' performance in March Madness could elevate Reeves' stock for the 2024 NBA draft. However, at the moment, there's a likelihood that he could be drafted in the second round or go undrafted, as indicated by mock drafts.

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