Shead makes NBA debut after college success
Shead, after a successful college career, debuted in the NBA with aspirations of being like his teammate Quickley. His journey reflects determination despite uncertainty.
Shead had no way to know for sure he was going to be drafted, even after a stellar four-year career for the Cougars. As an undersized defence-first point guard with a shaky jumper, nothing was guaranteed. As for which team would take him?
But he was focused. This was an NBA team training on the same floor where he had just finished practising. "I was watching Quick," Shead told me Sunday before taking the floor against the Houston Rockets in his first NBA game where he played college basketball for four seasons, and just over a two-hour drive from his hometown of Austin, Texas. He was referring to his current teammate Immanuel Quickley. "He's an NBA point guard, that's where I wanted to get to."
