SAD NEWS: Zvonimir Ivisic Ends Relationship with Kentucky Wildcats today after finding out he was…..

Reed Sheppard had burned the Bulldogs one too many times.

They knew any amount of space behind the three-point line would be enough for Kentucky’s freshman guard to get a shot off.

It’s why the 6-foot-10 KeShawn Murphy stepped out to the perimeter as the final seconds wound down in Starkville.

The 6-foot-3 guard took a dribble to his left and then started downhill, driving past Murphy before lofting the game-winning floater from the free-throw line through the hoop.

That’s what makes Sheppard such an intriguing prospect in this year’s NBA draft and the type of player the Toronto Raptors may consider selecting if the organization retains its top-six protected pick in this year’s draft.

“Reed is an intriguing player because of his ability to run an offense and shoot the ball,” said Andrew Stefaniak who covers Kentucky basketball for Wildcats Today.

“Percentage-wise, Sheppard was one of the best shooters we have seen in college hoops in a long time.”

That’s why Mississippi State took that one step out of position, afraid of Sheppard’s 52.1% three-point stroke.

The 19-year-old is a marksman on catch-and-shoot looks and showed an impressive ability to nail pull-up threes at the college level, averaging 2.3 three-pointers made and 12.5 points per game as a freshman.

For a team like the Raptors, that’s enough to get excited about.

Toronto ranked 26th in the NBA in three-pointers made this past season and was 27th in three-point percentage.

That’s simply not going to cut it in the modern NBA.