Landry Shamet may play significant role with Sixers

Four months ago, the Sixers used their second pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft and selected guard Landry Shamet out of Wichita State.

Shamet, a 6-foot-4 combo guard, seemed like an immediate and logical fit on paper for the Sixers. He is not only an effective ball handler but can shoot the three-ball at a respectable rate.

In two seasons at Wichita State, Shamet shot 44.1 percent from three-point range on 5.2 attempts per game and 48.1 percent from the field. He also averaged 13.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game. With those types of shooting percentage plus his ability to get to the basket, Shamet fits in well with the NBA’s style of positionless basketball.

Even though the stats said one thing in college, no one knew exactly how Shamet would play in the NBA. However, after four preseason games and one regular season game, it is clear that Shamet will have a significant role on the team and could be this season’s Kyle Kuzma.

A late-first round pick, who comes in right away and outshines from where he was drafted.

In Tuesday night’s season opener against the Celtics, Shamet scored only one point but played more minutes in the second half than starter Markelle Fultz. He played seven minutes, while Fultz only played three minutes. This was after last year’s first overall pick played 21 minutes in the first half.

Despite only scoring a single point, Shamet did take four shots attempts and was used in various lineups. We saw him playing with T.J. McConnell, Robert Covington and Ben Simmons on the floor at one point during the game.

We also saw him playing with Fultz and J.J. Redick too. Again, while his shots did not fall, Shamet did do a good job getting free off of screens.

However, if you want a better idea of how Shamet will play with the Sixers, just take a look at his highlights from the preseason. In their first game against the Dallas Mavericks in China, he put on a show scoring 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.

The former Wichita State product showed that he could knock shots down coming off of down screens, catch and shoot and dribble handoffs.

 

Granted, this is only a snapshot of Shamet’s short NBA career but it appears he will be put in favorable situations and lineups by head coach Brett Brown. If Shamet can become a consistent shooter and overall threat from the outside, then he will garner more minutes throughout the season.