Last Updated on July 24, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Antonio Reeves earned a reputation as a dependable scorer who could heat up quickly and provide an instant offensive spark. Over the course of his college career, he refined his shooting and shot-making ability, becoming one of the more consistent perimeter threats in the game.

Player Profile

Personal Information:

  • Full Name: Antonio Reeves
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: November 20, 2000
  • Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm)
  • Weight: 205 pounds (93 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 7 inches (201cm)
  • Shoe Size: Size 14 (US)

Basketball Career:

  • Position: Shooting Guard
  • Jersey Number: 12
  • High School:
    • Shadow Mountain High School (Phoenix, Arizona): Played under coach Mike Bibby, contributing to a 25-2 record and a state title, averaging 14.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
    • Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois): Averaged 21.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game; named All-City Second Team.
  • College:
    • Illinois State University (2019–2022):
      • Freshman Year (2019–2020): Averaged 7.2 points per game.
      • Sophomore Year (2020–2021): Averaged 12.4 points per game, starting 24 of 25 games.
      • Junior Year (2021–2022): Averaged 20.1 points per game; named to the Missouri Valley Conference Second Team.
    • University of Kentucky (2022–2024):
      • Senior Year (2022–2023): Averaged 14.4 points per game; named SEC co-Sixth Man of the Year.
      • Fifth Year (2023–2024): Averaged 20.2 points per game; named First-team All-SEC and Third-team All-American.
  • NBA Draft: Selected 47th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic; traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
  • Professional Career:
    • New Orleans Pelicans (2024–present):
      • Made NBA debut on October 23, 2024, scoring 8 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls.
      • Scored a career-high 34 points on November 20, 2024, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
    • Birmingham Squadron (2024–present): Assigned to the Pelicans’ G League affiliate for development.

Personal Life:

  • Children: None
  • Siblings: Information not publicly available

Player Archetype / Play Style

Antonio Reeves’ player archetype is that of a scoring off-guard built to space the floor and punish defenses with polished shotmaking. At 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-6 with decent length, he has enough size for the two-guard spot, though he is generally viewed as more crafty and skilled than explosive athletically. Offensively, his role is centered on perimeter scoring, catch-and-shoot work, movement shooting, and using touch to finish with runners and floaters, while defensively he projects more as a team-structure wing who competes and holds his ground rather than a true stopper or high-event disruptor. Overall, Reeves plays like a mature shot creator who thrives on efficiency, confidence, and scoring rhythm, making him the kind of guard who can lift an offense with spacing and timely buckets even if his game is not built around primary playmaking or top-tier burst. (nbadraft.net)

Scouting Report

What stands out with Antonio Reeves is how relentlessly he hunts scoring opportunities without ever looking rushed. A lot of shooters need the offense to manufacture clean looks for them, but Reeves has a real feel for creating his own windows by sprinting off pin-downs, changing speeds through relocations or taking one hard dribble after the catch before rising into a balanced jumper. He doesn’t waste movement. The interesting thing is that defenders often think they’ve survived the initial action, only for him to immediately slide into another open pocket as the possession continues. His pull-up game is compact enough to punish defenders who chase too aggressively over screens, and he has more craft finishing around the basket than he gets credit for, using floaters and well-timed extensions rather than trying to overpower rim protectors. The trade-off is that his offensive value is tied more to putting the ball in the basket than orchestrating for others. He’ll make the obvious read when help collapses, but he isn’t consistently manipulating entire defenses as a primary creator. Defensively, he competes with discipline and generally stays attached navigating off-ball actions, although bigger wings can shoot over him and stronger guards can gain an advantage when they force physical drives into his chest. To me, Reeves is best suited to an offense built around movement, spacing and multiple creators where he can spend possessions relocating, attacking tilted defenses and punishing late closeouts instead of carrying the burden of initiating every possession. That’s where his shooting gravity quietly changes the floor because defenders are reluctant to help off him for even a second. There are elements of Malik Beasley in the confidence and variety of his perimeter scoring, while parts of his game resemble Wayne Ellington, particularly the way he strings together off-ball movement and quick-release shooting to generate offense that often feels available before the defense realizes the shot is coming.

Sources:

NBA.com — NBA 2024 Draft Prospects | Antonio Reeves | NBA.com
NBADraft.net — Antonio Reeves
NBADraft.net — 2024 NBA Draft – Instant Analysis
NBADraftRoom — Antonio Reeves