Rookie Ben Sheppard Quietly Helps Indiana Pacers in Opening Round Playoff Victory

When discussing the NBA’s top rookies, one might mention San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, or Charlotte Hornets wing Brandon Miller right off the bat. If speaking on rookies still helping their teams stack playoff wins, one might allude to Chet Holmgren or Cason Wallace of the Oklahoma City Thunder or Dereck Lively II of the Dallas Mavericks. However, Ben Sheppard's name will come up far less, and that probably should not be the case given his playoff contributions in the Eastern Conference. 

After playing four years at Belmont University, Sheppard entered the NBA draft and went off the board at No. 26 overall to the Indiana Pacers. A late riser on draft boards, this selection didn’t make many headlines. Sheppard made some contributions to the Pacers' playoff birth in the regular season, establishing himself as a consistent rotation piece towards the end of the year. At this stage in his career, he is mainly a 3-point shooter with defensive upside and the ability to pull down rebounds. and on the glass. But that's been plenty helpful in Indiana's wing rotation, especially with Bennedict Mathurin going down with a season-ending shoulder injury. 

In the final 25 games of the regular season, Sheppard played over 19 minutes per game while averaging 6.2 points in those outings.

In the Pacers' six-game Round 1 series win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the 6-foot-5 wing’s skill set brought value off the bench. In Games 2 through 6, he played just under 20 minutes per contest, averaging 6.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.6 steals. He did so while shooting 57.1% on 2.8 attempts from beyond the arc per game, totaling 8-for-14 shooting from deep in the series. 

Next, Indiana will take on the New York Knicks in the second round. In this matchup, Sheppard’s shooting proficiency can help the Pacers’ offense preserve their spacing against a tough Knicks defense.