Evaluating Reed Sheppard, Wooga Poplar, and Rob Dillingham in the Kentucky-Miami Game
November 28th, 2023
By Alan Lu
Today, I was able to watch Kentucky play against Miami in a highly anticipated, non-conference basketball game. It was close in the first half, but Kentucky had a huge second half to pull away to get a double-digit victory over Miami. The standout performers were Reed Sheppard and Wooga Poplar, and there were also other strong performances from other players in this game.
Reed Sheppard scored 21 points, made 5 threes, and had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in Kentucky’s win over Miami. (Photo: Jordan Prather/USA Today Sports, via Yardbarker)
Reed Sheppard had a strong all-around game to help lead Kentucky to a win over Miami. He is a sharpshooter that showed a knack for making threes, and he also would score on fast breaks. He also was able to run off of a screen to make a three, and he also was able to make another off of a dribble handoff. He moves well off the ball offense, which makes him very hard to guard on that end of the floor.
Plus, he also passed the ball well, as he would consistently find teammates on the move to get them the basketball. He also rebounded and defended very well. Sheppard made an impressive shot block on a three-point shot, and he also would poke balls away to get steals. There was one play where he was too aggressive on a closeout that led him to foul a mid-range jump shooter, but overall, Sheppard did a very good job of making plays on the ball defensively to get stops for his team.
Overall, Reed Sheppard was terrific in his team’s win over Miami, and he has played very well for Kentucky this year. He is an underrated prospect that plays well on both ends of the floor, and he could end up being a likely first round pick in the 2024 draft.
Miami’s 6-5 guard, Wooga Poplar had a solid showing in his team’s tough loss to Kentucky. The athletic swingman had a very good first half, and he was terrific at knocking down mid-range jumpers off the dribble. He was very comfortable at making shots from the mid-range, and he also would score on drives and hustle plays. He also made a savvy play by throwing an inbounds pass off of an opponent’s back in order to get open in the paint, which enabled him to draw free throws on the play.
He also played unselfishly, as he showed that he can make passes off the dribble to set up scoring chances for his teammates. Poplar also rebounded and defended well. Defensively, he also would get his hands on balls to help his team get steals. Overall, Poplar played well, especially in the first half, and he could be an intriguing first round prospect for the 2024 draft.
Kentucky’s freshman point guard, Rob Dillingham had a strong showing in his team’s double-digit win over Miami. He showed off versatile scoring skills, and he did a great job of passing the basketball to help lead his team to get the victory.
Dillingham showed a knack for making an array of passes to rack up assists. He would make crisp passes off the dribble to do so, and he excelled at finding open teammates on the move to set up scores for them.
Plus, he also did a good job of threes, and Dillingham was able to run off the ball to make one another time. While he was a bit more inconsistent as a scorer off the dribble, Dillingham was able to show the agility, body control, and finishing ability to score on tough shots. On the downside, he was inconsistent at making mid-range shots, but he did show good footwork to be able to knock down shots inside the arc.
Overall, Rob Dillingham played well to help lead his team to a win over Miami. He is a crafty playmaker that excelled as a shot maker and facilitator in this game, and he is a skilled guard that could end up being a first round pick in the 2024 draft.
Kentucky’s freshman swingman, Justin Edwards also played well in his team’s win over Miami. He did a great job of scoring on strong drives to the hoop and hustle plays, and he is a very athletic player that excelled at scoring in traffic.
He also almost made a three-pointer off the catch, but it was waved off because he didn’t get the shot off in time. He also was able to chip in to get boards on both ends of the floor. Plus, Edwards defended well, as he would get his hands on balls to help his team get steals, and he also did a good job of staying in front of his man on that end of the floor.
Overall, Justin Edwards had a solid showing, and he excelled at making plays as a scorer and defender in this game. He will need to improve his jump shot, but he is a very athletic swingman that may have a great deal of upside, and he could end up being a lottery pick in the 2024 draft.
Adou Thiero played fairly well in his team’s win over Miami. He showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays, as he showed good balance, body control, and scoring touch to score off of cuts and in transition. He also did a decent job of scoring off the dribble. He also set an off-ball screen, got the ball on a back cut, and then made a nice quick, drop-off pass to find an open teammate down low.
On the downside, he did not make a three-pointer in this game, and he would sometimes throw inaccurate passes that would go out of bounds. Thiero also rebounded the ball well. He also was able to block a shot, but sometimes he would commit fouls due to over-aggressiveness. Overall, Thiero had a solid showing, and he did a good job of making shots and rebounding in this game. He is an underrated prospect, and he could end up being a late first round pick in the 2024 draft.
Tre Mitchell also had a strong showing in his team’s win over Miami. He did a good job of scoring out of the post, and he also was able to score on a smooth, fadeaway jumper. While he struggled to consistently make threes, Mitchell was able to make an open three off the catch late in this game.
He also passed the ball very well, and he showed a knack for finding open teammates on the move to rack up assists. Mitchell was able to chip in on the glass to get some rebounds. He also defended well, as he would block shots off of drives, and he did a good job of contesting and altering shots to force misses. He also ran in to tie up an opponent off of a bobbled pass to get a steal. On the downside, sometimes he would lose his focus, as he had his back turned on an inbounds play, and an opponent threw a pass off his back that led his team to commit a foul afterwards.
Overall, Tre Mitchell played well in this game, and he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor. He is an agile, skilled big man that especially excelled as a passer. He is an underrated prospect, and he could be a good find for an NBA team if he is available in the second round range of the 2024 draft.
Antonio Reeves also played well to help Kentucky get a win over Miami. He showed a knack for scoring the basketball, as he would score on hustle plays, and he also showed a decent ability to score off the dribble and from the outside.
While he didn’t look to pass the ball very much, he was able to make a drive and kick pass to notch an assist, and Reeves is a skilled ball handler that can get to where he needs on the court. He also would get his fair share of boards, as he was able to get multiple rebounds on both ends of the floor. He also defended well, and he was able to jump on a loose ball to get a steal, and he also contested a mid-range shot to force a miss.
Overall, Reeves is an athletic, skilled combo guard that can shoot and score the basketball. He may be undersized to play the two, but his ability to make shots and plays on the court may make him an intriguing second round prospect for the 2024 draft.
Miami’s Norchad Omier had a satisfactory showing in his team’s loss to Kentucky. He showed a satisfactory ability to score out of the post, and he is a strong, undersized big man that has decent footwork, scoring touch to go along with having solid strength to be able to score inside. He also made a three, and was able to score both off the dribble and on hustle plays. On the downside, he didn’t always have enough lift when looking to score at the rim, as he would struggle to finish plays against the longer, more athletic Kentucky defenders at times.
He wasn’t too noticeable as a playmaker, and he didn’t make any noteworthy passes. Sometimes he would force the issue too much, which would lead him to commit turnovers. Omier did a good job of rebounding the basketball. However, he didn’t defend well, as he struggled to defend quicker players in the post, and his lack of size made it tough for him to ably contest shots. He also fouled out in under 20 minutes of play in this game.
Overall, Omier played fairly well when he was on the floor, as he excelled as a scorer and rebounder, but he struggled defensively and ran into foul trouble in this game. He’s in between positions and he’ll need to add more perimeter skills, but he is a productive player that could end up a serviceable rotation player in the NBA someday.
Other Notes:
Kentucky’s freshman guard, D.J. Wagner had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Miami. On one hand, he did a fairly good job of scoring on strong drives to the hoop. Defensively, he made an impressive shot block to prevent an opponent from scoring off the dribble once. However, he didn’t take many shots, and he did not play very much in general. He both played sort of well when he was on the floor, but he wasn’t on the floor for very long at all, as it was reported that he left with a lower body injury.
Overall, he is a very athletic combo guard that has considerable upside, but he will have to get healthy in the meantime. This game probably isn’t a good indicator of his skill set or where he’d end up in the draft, but Wagner is a very talented prospect that could contend to be a lottery pick in the 2024 draft.
Miami’s Matthew Cleveland also had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Kentucky. On one hand, he was efficient in making shots, and he also defended well. Cleveland was able to make an open, spot-up three off the catch. He also scored on a floater off the dribble. On the other hand, he didn’t take many shots overall as he rarely hoisted them up, and he also threw an inaccurate drive and kick pass that ended up going out of bounds.
He also defended well. Cleveland was able to block a dunk impressively, and he also would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections. Overall, Matthew Cleveland is an athletic, energetic forward whose defense is ahead of his offense right now, but if he can be more assertive on offense, he could end up being a solid, 3 and D type of role player in the NBA.
All in all, those are my thoughts on how Sheppard, Poplar, Dillingham, Edwards, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.