Will Reed Sheppard or Rob Dillingham team up with the NBA’s next megastar? Looks like it.

In a little more than a month, former Kentucky stars Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard will find out where they’ll begin their professional basketball careers.

The first night of the 2024 NBA draft is June 26, and neither of those UK freshmen is expected to have to wait long to hear his name called in Brooklyn. Both Sheppard and Dillingham are unanimously projected to be top-10 selections, according to the major NBA mock drafts that have been released since the draft lottery set the order of picks over the weekend.

While the destinations across those mock drafts vary, there is one constant: all of them have either Dillingham or Sheppard going to the San Antonio Spurs.

And that would be quite the advantageous situation.

San Antonio, of course, is home to Victor Wembanyama, the basketball phenom who was the no-doubt No. 1 pick in last year’s NBA draft and proved those projections correct with a fantastic first season in the league, becoming just the sixth unanimous Rookie of the Year selection in the past 40 years.

His numbers: 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. The context for that greatness: the last NBA player to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per game was 15-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal, who did it during the 1999-2000 season, his eighth year in the league and only MVP season.

Needless to say, any 2024 NBA draft pick should want to be paired up with “Wemby” for the foreseeable future, and the Spurs just happen to be looking for a dynamic, floor-spacing guard who could complement the 7-foot-4 center for years to come.

San Antonio has both the No. 4 and 8 picks in next month’s draft, and that’s right around the range where the NBA analysts have Dillingham and Sheppard slotted.

So, it didn’t take long for the UK duo to get questions about possibly teaming up with Wembanyama during their interview sessions at the NBA Combine this week.

“He’s a really good player,” Sheppard said. “The stuff that he did in his rookie season is ridiculous. And I think he’s only going to get better.”

The Kentucky kid added, with a chuckle: “He’s definitely one that you want to play with and not against.”

The Athletic’s mock draft has Sheppard going to the Spurs with the No. 8 overall pick.

The NBA mock drafts from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, The Ringer and Bleacher Report all have Dillingham headed to San Antonio, either with the No. 4 or No. 8 selection.

Dillingham said he would be a “good fit” for the Spurs and brightened up at the possibility of playing alongside Wembanyama.

“Everybody’s seen Wemby,” he said. “That was the craziest first year in a long time. He could be one of the best players ever. So I would say — playing with Wemby — it’s obvious: I’m coming in to get Wemby the ball and find shooters. … It’s really just making the team better. And whatever they need me to do, I feel like I can do.”

Asked if he felt his playing style would pair well with the NBA’s fastest-rising star, Dillingham’s tone suggested that wasn’t even a question. The combination could be a lethal one.

“I mean, if I come off a screen with Wemby, it’s kind of hard to guard,” he said with a smile. “Then there’s Devin Vassell — there’s different shooters on the team that can shoot the ball. It would be hard to play with us. So I would say, yeah, for sure.”

The Spurs are coached by Gregg Popovich, a five-time NBA champion and three time Coach of the Year who is about to enter his 29th season in charge of the team. His presence would obviously be another plus for whoever lands in San Antonio next month.

Dillingham and Sheppard reunite

While Dillingham and Sheppard clearly liked the idea of possibly playing alongside Wembanyama, both draft prospects made sure to work in the requisite comments that they’ll be happy and ready to go with whatever situation is presented to them next season.

“Anything that a team wants me to do, I feel like I can be a good fit,” Dillingham said.

Sheppard made similar statements throughout his media session.

“At the end of the day, no matter what happens, right now I’m at the NBA Combine. Not a lot of people can say they did this,” he said. “Not a lot of people can say they get to go work out for teams and have interviews with these teams and organizations. So (I’m) just being really happy and enjoying the moment, and just having fun through all of it.”

They’re also having fun going through this week’s process together.

In addition to being Kentucky’s super subs last season — both freshmen, to the surprise of many, came off the bench under coach John Calipari — the two were also roommates on the road.

“Rob’s a really good kid,” Sheppard said. “He’s a really good player, as everyone can see. But not everyone knows how he is as a kid, and he’s a really good person outside of basketball. He’s a really good person to have around.”

Sheppard talked about some of their funny moments on the road together, laughing at the memory of getting locked out of their room on more than one occasion.

“We got to know each other really well and became a lot closer because of it,” he said.

Dillingham mentioned how Sheppard’s parents — former UK basketball stars Jeff Sheppard and Stacey Reed Sheppard — were like an extended family for him during his time in Lexington. He, too, was enjoying his time spent with his former teammate this week after parting ways after the disappointing end to their only college season.

“It’s a great experience, honestly,” Dillingham said. “That was my roommate at Kentucky. We’re close. We came in, and we were kind of the same type of player … just different background stories. That’s my boy. He taught me a lot about being poised and just helping my teammates. I learned a lot from Reed. And his mom Stacey and his dad — I love them.”

Dillingham let out one of his infectious laughs when he recalled that Jeff and Stacey even asked if he needed any help cleaning out his dorm room once the school year had ended.

“It’s just like family, honestly,” he said.

The 2023-24 season didn’t end as planned for Dillingham and Sheppard, but the top two prospects from Calipari’s 15th and final NBA draft class at Kentucky — two more lottery picks for the former UK coach’s tally — echoed the statements of other Wildcats who came before them. Even with the disappointing finish, the process of playing on a team with so many other talented players — and in a backcourt that included fellow draft hopeful Antonio Reeves — prepared them for what’s coming next.

“I think that’s what’s so good about Kentucky. No matter what, you’re going to get better. You’re going to learn,” said Sheppard, who specifically mentioned Dillingham and Reeves and finding out that there were times that he just had to figure out ways to create spacing and get them the ball.

“And just watch them go get a bucket. Those were some of my favorite times this year in a game, when one of those two would get hot and I would just throw them the ball, and they would go iso and go get a bucket. That was pretty cool, seeing how easy it was for them. Kentucky definitely prepares you for the next level.”

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