Landry Shamet has the potential to be the Philadelphia 76ers’ most productive rookie next season.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ roster will sport four rookies next season: Zhaire Smith, Landry Shamet, Jonah Bolden and Shake Milton. With Smith injuring his foot over the summer, Shamet might be looking at the clearest path toward minutes in 2018-19.
While there were concerns over drafting Shamet in the first round — he was the 35th overall prospect on our draft board — his skill set is a natural fit with the Sixers’ second unit. He was an elite shooter at Wichita State, shooting 43.9 and 44.2 percent from deep, respectively, in his two full seasons.
Shamet isn’t merely a spot-up shooter either. He moves well without the ball, something the Sixers’ offense will embrace. He was also Wichita State’s point guard, showcasing a high basketball I.Q. and advanced feel in the pick-and-roll.
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With Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and T.J. McConnell on the roster, Shamet won’t be utilized as a lead guard next season. With that said, he provides a quality relief valve for the primary ball handlers while also spacing the floor at a high level.
One thing that killed the Sixers against Boston in the playoffs was their lack of reliable ball handlers. Too many one-dimiensional players dominated the rotation, which made baskets hard to come by once Ben Simmons was rendering ineffective.
Brett Brown needs players like Shamet, who can both spot-up and create off the bounce. As long as he’s a passable defender, there’s reason to believe the 21-year-old can carve out 10-15 minutes per game.
At 6-foot-5, Shamet has solid size for his position. He isn’t a great athlete, though, which might limit him on the defensive end in the NBA. The Sixers will be looking to upgrade their bench defense following Marco Belinelli‘s departure, so that could be one factor that holds Shamet back.
Rookie guards typically struggle, and defense is a big reason why. If Shamet gets burned on switches with regularity, Brown will be forced to limit his minutes in certain matchups.
One thing that will work in Shamet’s favor is his high basketball I.Q., which translates to both ends of the floor. He typically knows where to be and how to cover his weaknesses, which should prevent him from becoming an absolute zero on defense.
As long as that’s the case, his shooting and playmaking are skills the Sixers will benefit from. He will also have the opportunity to work under J.J. Redick‘s tutelage, which could aid his development both on and off the court.
For a Sixers team that’s looking to compete in the East, drafting an NBA-ready talent like Shamet made sense. Even if he wasn’t the best prospect on the board, his high floor and elite shooting touch is more than enough to warrant optimism moving forward.
He has the potential to become a real part of the rotation right away, although McConnell and Fultz are hard to project heading into next season. Expect good things from the former Shocker.
Rough 2018-19 stat line projection: 4.5 PPG / 1.0 RPG / 2.0 APG / 0.5 SPG / 0.1 BPG / 42 FG% / 38 3FG% / 80 FT%