Sheppard turned himself into an NBA first-round pick the old-fashioned way — by working his way up the ladder over four years at Belmont. He played just 11 minutes a game as a freshman but averaged 18.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a senior, earning all-Missouri Valley Conference honors. Sheppard’s improvement, and his strong showing against bigger names at the NBA Draft Combine, paid off when the Indiana Pacers selected him in the first round (26th overall) of the NBA Draft. He became the second Belmont player to be drafted in the first round in the past five years, joining Dylan Windler (2019).
Best NBA Draft Selection
Ben Sheppard
