Chucky Hepburn

Born in Nebraska, Chucky Hepburn attended the local high school, Bellevue, and played in two state championship games, winning one. He was also named the 2020 Nebraska Mr. Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year before heading to Wisconsin, where he started right away and earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. Hepburn took a major statistical leap forward as a sophomore on the back of a 40% clip from 3 but regressed in that department as a junior, his final year as a Badger. However, that season, he also emerged as a lockdown perimeter defender, averaging 2.1 steals per game en route to Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors. Hepburn moved to Louisville for his final year of eligibility and excelled, averaging 16.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. He was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and received First-Team All-ACC honors. Hepburn's motor and elite defensive instincts put him on NBA radars, but he's also a capable point guard who rarely turned the ball over at Wisconsin. Despite having the ball in his hands often and dishing out 3.9 assists per game as a junior, Hepburn never averaged more than 1.5 turnovers per game in three seasons as a Badger. He's also a capable shooter, knocking down 35.3 percent of his career 3s. Hepburn is undersized and won't be an exceptional athlete at the NBA level, but he's a proven winner and willing to fill a role. Hepburn can run an NBA second unit and play hard defense. He has an offensive skill set similar to backup point guards Tyus and Tre Jones (both 6'1"). However, Hepburn's best path to NBA minutes would be to harness a defensive-first mindset like TJ McConnell (6'1", 190) or Kris Dunn (6'3", 205).