Fifth-year players—often referred to as “super seniors”—became a common sight in the NCAA this season with their extra year of eligibility due to the Covid pandemic. And, as Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves proves, they’re also going to be visible during the 2024 NBA Draft, joining the undergrads in the same pool of league hopefuls.
Reeves, a 6’4” guard, spent his first three years at Illinois State, where he developed into a standout player in the Missouri Valley Conference. His junior year was his most productive season for the Redbirds, and it came after he declared for the 2021 Draft. In 33 games (all starts), Reeves averaged 20.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals on .469/.390/.818 splits, and was named the MVC’s Most Improved Player. He also earned a spot on the All-MVC Second Team and was a top-20 scorer in Div. I men’s basketball.
Following his junior year, Reeves transferred to Kentucky. Despite adjusting from a starter to a backup role, Reeves kept his scoring up, averaging 14.4 points on .416/.398/.783 splits and earning SEC Sixth Man of the Year for his efforts. Prior to this season, he was listed as one of the top-ten super-seniors to watch by Andy Katz, who declared: “Reeves is going to have an SEC player-of-the-year type season for John Calipari.”
Reeves may not have won SEC Player of the Year, but he still exceeded expectations. He started all 33 games played for Coach Cal and the Wildcats, averaging 20.2 points on blistering .512/.447/863 splits. His college career ended with a 27-point performance against Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Reeves took home All-SEC First Team honors and will be one of four Wildcats in this year’s draft class.
Reeves is a solid three-level scorer who can thrive in whatever role he’s placed in. He went off for several scoring outbursts during his time at Kentucky, including a 37-point explosion against the Arkansas.
He does a good job of finishing creatively at the rim, taking any contact that comes with it despite his 186-pound frame. Reeves didn’t get to the line often—only averaging four attempts from the stripe per game—but he was still efficient from the line. He improved his free-throw percentage from 65% as a freshman to 86% in his fifth year.
One of his go-to moves is the floater, which he takes and makes with ease. He fires it early and often when he can’t get to the rim. His overall midrange game is also sound, being able to make jumpers off the dribble and off the catch.
Reeves’s perimeter shooting is also excellent, as No Ceilings NBA’s numbers show:
“This will be his third straight season in which he’s shot at least 39% from three on more than 5.5 attempts. Additionally, Reeves ranks in the 97th percentile with 1.18 PPP.”
He buries a majority of his threes off the catch and creates separation with great handles. Reeves showcased his scoring ability at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine, where he scored 17 points in the first scrimmage.
HECK of a first scrimmage day at the NBA Draft Combine for Antonio Reeves who finished with:
17 points and four assists in 28 minutes of play
Someone will be getting a STEAL with this kid
pic.twitter.com/fkSGxsJfew
— TorresOnKentucky (@TorresOnUK) May 15, 2024
Reeves has put scouts on notice with his offensive talents. His three-point shooting will be the most translatable part of his game, especially with the upward trends of perimeter marksmen in the league.
For all of Reeves’ work as a scorer, there are several flaws in his game that prevent him from being mocked higher on draft boards. For starters, there’s his age. Not a lot of teams will be looking for fifth-year players in the 2024 Draft, and Reeves, for all of his talents, is 23 years old. Additionally, he is not the best playmaker, only averaging 1.3 assists per game throughout his career and contributing 54 assists to Kentucky’s offense this season (1.6/game).
Reeves is also a glaring negative on defense. He only tallied 22 steals and eight blocks this season—with respective marks of 101 and 37 for his career. According to No Ceilings NBA:
“…he ranks in the 43rd percentile in overall defensive points per possession (PPP), per Synergy. If he gets drafted, Reeves will be just the eighth senior to do so since 2014 with a block rate under 1% and a steal rate under 1.5%. His company isn’t exactly littered with sterling NBA careers either.”
Both of those skills can certainly be developed as the draft gets closer and in the beginning of Reeves’ professional career. However, they are two main reasons why Reeves may be ranked lower on draft boards than most of his peers.
As one of the older sharpshooters in the 2024 class, Reeves’ game has shades of Matt Ryan, a 27-year-old wing whose two-year career has included stops with the Celtics, Lakers, Timberwolves, and Pelicans. Both are high-volume shooters who make their jumpers at a relatively high clip. However, they are also below-average defenders. Ryan’s offensive focus has still earned him solid rotational minutes, and the same could hold true for Reeves.
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As of the first Monday of August, there was no indication that 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel or 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders had any real chance to emerge as the Cleveland Browns' Week 1 starting quarterback. During a Monday morning appearance on Cleveland sports radio station 92.3 The Fan, Browns reporter Daryl Ruiter offered quite a worrisome update regarding how Gabriel has looked during training camp practices. "He's not good," Ruiter said about Gabriel. "He's not an NFL quarterback. Not right now, and the fact that they keep running him out there for first-team reps...they're cramming this guy down our throats, and it's not good." Numerous NFL analysts viewed Gabriel as a third-day selection before the Browns made him the 94th overall pick of this year's draft. The perception up until Sanders was held out of Saturday's practice due to arm soreness was that he has been the team's fourth-choice option at the position behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. All signs are reportedly pointing to Flacco getting the start for Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Gabriel is listed at 5-foot-11, but some who cover the team have expressed doubts about that measurement. It seems that a lack of desirable size for playing the position in the pros isn't all that's gone against Gabriel this summer. "It's not a height thing," Ruiter continued. "It's not personal. He's rolling out and can't hit guys who are wide open. He's not all that great, at times, in the warmup periods. ...He's just not a good quarterback." Ruiter said that he feels Gabriel "has no business being in contention to start a football game" for the Browns this season. "It's god awful when he's on the field," Ruiter added. Browns general manager Andrew Berry revealed in late July that he could stash all four active quarterbacks on the roster for at least Week 1. For an article published on Sunday night, Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand wrote that there's "zero chance" either Gabriel or Sanders will be cut this summer. Perhaps Gabriel will look better when he sees some action in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8. That said, it sounds like fans should keep their expectations low for Gabriel's unofficial debut this coming Friday.
The New Orleans Saints' three-way quarterback competition is narrowing before the team's first preseason contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Per Ross Jackson of Louisiana Sports, second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler has looked the best at training camp this summer, going 83-of-114 passing (72.8 percent) for eight touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and four interceptions. Rattler is beating out rookie Tyler Shough. The second-round pick has completed just 62 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and one Interception. Jackson believes first-year head coach Kellen Moore is priming Rattler as the favorite to start in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. "Over the team’s 10 practices, these three young passers have seen their chance to earn the starting role to begin the season in a rotation of first-team reps," Jackson wrote. "But there are decisions the Saints have made in the process that indicate a favorite. "After looking over individual performance stats, practice rep distribution and the team’s treatment of each quarterback throughout the important and highly-productive scrimmages on camp day 10, it’s become clear that Rattler is comfortably in the lead, for now." Jackson thinks Rattler can fend off his "convincing lead" for the starting job if he plays competently against the Chargers on Sunday. Rattler feels like the safe choice for Moore over Shough and Haener, at least to start the regular season. He appeared in seven games and started in six in 2024. Rattler played inconsistently as a rookie, throwing four touchdowns to five interceptions. However, he's had time to develop. Given his numbers in training camp, Rattler appears to be the most polished quarterback before the regular season. Shough could eventually develop into the Saints' best option, but the rookie's completion percentage against friendly competition at camp is low before he even faces live action in the preseason.
The Dallas Cowboys’ ongoing stalemate with Micah Parsons has been front-page news, but Bill Simmons has another theory. Jerry Jones is a smart businessman, and because of that, the ongoing discourse with one of his greatest players seems odd to say the least. A man worth $15 billion would typically know that publicly frustrating your star players is not exactly the greatest way to do business. The feud has led many former players to chime in with their opinions, and it wouldn’t be the first time that Jones has waited until the final moment to sign one of his stars to an extension. Simmons believes Jerry Jones causes drama with his players on purpose, keeping the Cowboys front of the queue The Dallas Cowboys have typically been late to sign their stars in recent years, namely both Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Many are starting to notice a pattern, with Jerry Jones holding out on the players that matter the most, often getting dangerously close to the season starting before eventually committing to a new contract. In 2024, CeeDee Lamb had to wait until many other wide receivers had gotten their deals before he got his. Justin Jefferson had signed a four-year, $140 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings on June 3rd, while Amon-Ra St. Brown had agreed his deal with the Detroit Lions in late April. DJ Moore agreed his extension with the Chicago Bears on the final day of July, but CeeDee Lamb was forced to wait until August 26th, just a couple of weeks before Week 1 of the new season. Oddly enough, he still got his extension before Dak Prescott, who signed his four-year contract just hours before the first game of the season on September 8th. It wasn’t a small deal either, with Prescott signing his name to a $240 million deal the morning of the game. Now in 2025, history is repeating itself, with Micah Parsons being forced to wait for an extension while the likes of Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, TJ Watt and company have all signed theirs already. Bill Simmons has a theory about it all, as he suggested on the latest episode of his podcast, with guest Diana Russini. Simmons said: “There’s this Cowboys documentary coming out on Netflix, and it’s actually really good. I think it’s going to be a big deal, and it’s about the Jerry Jones’ ’90s Cowboys and the celebration of this really meaningful team…” “Part of me wonders does he (Jerry Jones) just do this sometimes with these holdouts just to get people talking about the Cowboys all month, when he knows how this is going to end? They’re not trading Micah Parsons, nobody’s doing that.” It’s a theory that has surfaced before, but one that would require Jerry Jones either playing with fire with his star players, or cutting them in on the scripted drama in order to make sure his team steals the headlines. The drama has really spiraled out of control in recent weeks, with Jerry Jones naming former star Dez Bryant as a player he once had a problem with. Suggestion that Micah Parsons is in on the drama as Jerry Jones continues late-extension trend If the theory is correct, you would have to imagine that Jones is letting his players know about his plan. CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott may have had their deals agreed in principle long before they were made official, which in a way would be smart business. As other teams sign their stars, their names fade from the headlines and TV shows, leaving only those with outstanding negotiations to be discussed. It seems a little suspect that in recent years, the Dallas Cowboys always seem to be one of those teams, with a star player waiting to get the deal he feels he deserves. Parsons could be in on the deal and may already have the figure agreed with Jones and the Cowboys. They can then gallivant around on social media and at press conferences as if there is an ongoing feud, coercing the fans into the drama before agreeing the contract at the final hour. Many believe Jones, the Cowboys, and Micah Parsons will have a deal agreed before the 2025 season begins, which would only play further into Simmons’ theory. If it’s true, it certainly works, but it isn’t a particularly positive way to portray the franchise.
The pads finally came on during Miami Dolphins training camp practices this week, which means it’s a good time to take stock in how first-round pick Kenneth Grant is faring. The Dolphins selected the 6-3, 335-pound interior defensive tackle out of Michigan to help solidify the middle of the defense after losing players like Christian Wilkins and Calais Campbell in back-to-back offseasons. The newly extended Zach Sieler can only do so much on his own. So, what’s the next step for the highly touted rookie? Defensive line coach Austin Clark has a few things in mind. “I think he's working himself into shape,” Clark told reporters Monday. “I think he works extremely hard, very smart player. I would say that's the thing that's impressive, learning multiple spots and stuff like that. [We’re] pleased where he's at, but he knows we've got a long way to go and fired up for these next couple practices here and taking into the joints in the games.” Clark saying that Grant is still working into NFL shape isn’t overly surprising. Grant is a huge player who moves faster than someone of his size should. There’s obviously a difference between the conditioning he needed to do at Michigan, as opposed to playing in the South Florida heat at NFL speed. Plus, Grant played a lot of snaps for the Wolverines over the years. He played more than 400 snaps in his two seasons as a starter, including a career-high 547 last season. So, there’s no reason to panic (yet) about Clark’s comments. Getting into better shape starts with new habits, something defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is looking for from all of his young defensive linemen. “We're trying to make this new training their new habits,” Weaver said. “So that to me is the biggest thing, just making sure you don't revert back to some of the things you've done in the past and you try to do what you've been trained to do to this point.” Gearing Up For Joint Practices Grant was never going to wow anyone before pads came on. But he’ll have a good opportunity to stand out when the Dolphins conduct their first of four joint practices this summer on Aug. 8 against the Chicago Bears. What is Weaver looking for from the young defensive lineman? “To trust their technique and fundamentals in their training,” Weaver said. “The thing that happens a lot, particularly with younger players, is when they get in that, the fire. And you're outside of your normal, where you're practicing against the same guy every day, is that they start to revert back to old habits.” Clark believes the team will get to learn a lot about Grant and the interior defensive line during joint practices because of how little the defensive line is allowed to do in regular practice. “I think the biggest thing with linemen is that those are where you really get to see how we're doing,” Clark said. “Because when you don't have pads on, there's a lot of protecting the team and things you're working on. You don't really know if you're gonna finish a move and pass rush and stuff like that. Run game, our offensive line is protecting the team.” Reading too much into how a rookie looks during the first few weeks of training camp and even during joint practices is a little silly. However, the Dolphins do need Grant to be a solid contributor this season. As mentioned above, Sieler can only do so much in the middle, and the team made Grant the centerpiece of its additions on the interior. Behind him are players like Benito Jones and fellow rookies Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers. Those players, and possibly others like Matt Dickerson, have some potential, but if Grant struggles this year, it’ll be an issue. So far, Weaver likes what Grant has shown, even if he still needs to work on some things. “Awesome, awesome,” Weaver said about Grant. “He's everything we thought he would be. I think his game particularly comes to light when the pads come on, right? And you've seen the impact he can have both in the middle of the pocket as a run defender and as a pass rusher.”