Los Angeles Clippers: The sky is the limit for Landry Shamet

Adding Landry Shamet at the NBA Trade Deadline is already paying dividends for the Los Angeles Clippers, and he’s just getting started

But such is life in the NBA.

Landry Shamet was traded along with teammates Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala, in exchange for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and Mike Scott. The Los Angeles Clippers also received the Philadelphia 76ers‘ protected 2020 first round pick along with the Miami Heat‘s 2021 unprotected first rounder.

Philadelphia drafted Shamet 26th overall in a bid to provide more spacing around franchise cornerstones Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

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Being a late first rounder, expectations were fairly low – but Shamet found himself in the regular rotation in no time.

The 6-foot-5 guard has a tremendously quick and smooth stroke, highlighted by his 41 percent clip from downtown. His ability to rapidly rise and fire as well as slalom through screens has drawn comparisons to his former teammate J.J. Redick.

While Redick is an excellent player – and a much better one than Shamet as of now – Shamet’s game is much more multifaceted.

Shamet may eventually fall into the Redick mold. That is, he’ll be a terrific spot-up shooter and a top tier floor spacer – the upper-echelon of role players.

But if we’re assuming his ceiling, Landry Shamet could end up being an absolute steal.

We know about the long ball. That’s no fluke. But there have been glimpses in other areas of Shamet’s game that may be cause for excitement on the part of the Clipper faithful.

Shamet’s shown considerably aggression attacking the basket, despite his somewhat slender frame.

He’s gotten to the line 62 times in 57 games – which doesn’t particularly jump out of the page. But when taking into consideration that he’s A) a rookie, B) only playing 20 minutes a night and C) is slight in size, the fact that he’s averaging just over a foul shot a game is quite encouraging.

His athleticism is one of his more overlooked assets. Shamet has shown that he can play well above the rim, which will help in improving as a finisher over the coming years.

The most encouraging thing for Doc Rivers an co. is Shamet’s basketball IQ. His cutting ability – particularly from the short corner – seems to be a fairly refined part of his game. Despite being a ball dominant point guard at Wichita State, Shamet’s off-ball prowess has been stellar to say the least.

While scoring is Shamet’s calling card, passing is an area of his game where he’s brimming with potential.

Thus far, it’s been a mixed bag. The correct read is often being made, but the execution of said read has been a little off at times.

There’s no doubt this area of his game will come along in time. Doc Rivers will attempt to utilise Shamet in a similar way he did Redick. He loves putting his two guards and big men in dribble handoffs and high screen and roll, opening up a plethora of options – so long as the two guard is a capable passer.

Shamet’s offensive package is growing by the day, and the sky truly is the limit considering the amount of the things he can do on that end of the floor.

The other end is a different story for that matter. As is the case with most rookies, Shamet’s been poor defensively.

But not many rookies are good defensively. There’s an adjustment period. The game is played differently and everyone’s stronger, so on that front, there’s no need to overreact.

As of now, Shamet’s an excellent role player. The thing is, he was the 26th overall pick and is only 21-years-old.

With a mixed bag of tricks and the opportunity to make a name for himself in LA, who knows how good Landry Shamet could be.