Are J.J. Redick, Marco Belinelli expendable?
By Owen Nelson
In light of the Philadelphia 76ers drafting Zhaire Smith, Landry Shamet and Shake Milton, are J.J. Redick and Marco Belinelli now expendable?
J.J. Redick and Marco Belinelli both played crucial roles in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 52-win season. They both came up big in the first round series win against the Miami Heat, however, both of their contracts are set to expire. Prior to the draft, the consensus was to bring both players back as they provide much-needed three-point shooting.
It was clear what GM-in-action Brett Brown wanted to accomplish at the 2018 NBA Draft: three-point shooting. 16th overall pick Zhaire Smith shot 45 percent from three, albeit on just 1.1 attempts per game. Brown spoke encouragingly about Smith’s deep shot at the player introductory conference.
Smith’s game, however, isn’t built upon his ability to shoot, as he mainly operated down low during his lone season at Texas Tech. Due to his premier length and absurd athleticism, he was often playing power forward and thus wasn’t given the chance to work along the perimeter.
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Furthermore, Landry Shamet was a deadeye in college basketball. Once heated, Shamet could launch it from anywhere with confidence. The former Wichita State man made 44.2 percent of his three-pointers on an astounding 5.9 attempts per game.
Shamet wasn’t just a spot-up shooter either, he was very adept at making his own shots, whether that be inside or outside the arc. The 6-foot-4 guard will fit seamlessly alongside Ben Simmons; he possesses the length, shooting and grittiness required to play for the Sixers.
The Sixers traded the 56th and 60th picks for the 54th pick, which they used to select SMU guard Shake Milton. It was bemusing as to why Milton was still on the board late in the second round. Some believe it was the outcome to his poor combine performance.
Despite this, Milton was dominant for the Mustangs, averaging 18 points per game. Also, the 6-foot-5 guard shot 43.4 percent from three-point line, on 5.9 attempts per game. In some respect, he’s fairly similar to Landry Shamet.
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It’ll be interesting to see if Redick and Belinelli can find a spot on this roster, or if they will chase a ring with another team. If they opt to do the latter, the Sixers have more than adequate replacements waiting in the wing.