Brooklyn Nets: 4 options still on the table for third-string point guard

Shane Larkin

With the point guard market extremely thin, it could be smart to consider someone who played last season outside the NBA. Shane Larkin spent the prior campaign in Europe playing for the Anadolu Efes and ended the season as Turkish League Finals MVP.

The 26-year-old has bounced around the basketball world since recording what was at the time the second highest max vertical in combine history, playing for six teams in three separate leagues. One of those years was with Brooklyn, in the dark season led by Lionel Hollins/Tony Brown.

Larkin is undersized and built very similarly to Napier, but is a better athlete. His quick first step and leaping ability allow him to be adept at getting to the rim consistently. In his last three NBA seasons he has shot right around 60 percent on field goals around the basket.

His size obviously makes him vulnerable on the defensive end. At 5-11, he faces a height disadvantage against most guards across the league and can be targeted when switched onto bigger wings. Although he has shown a penchant for active hands and forcing steals, his defensive impact is a negative.

That said, he may fit perfectly in the spark plug third point guard role, in which he has already succeeded in behind Irving in Boston previously. He has shown himself to be a competent shooter before in hitting 36 percent of his triples his last two NBA seasons, but there is a reason to believe that could be improved if he is given one more shot.

Last season in Europe Larkin connected on nearly 45 percent of his long-range shots (albeit the line is slightly shorter) and did so in a large sample size. He attempted 167 total threes last year, and went 27/55 in his seven playoff games en route to winning Finals MVP. If he could hit above a 40 percent clip for Brooklyn he would be an invaluable end of the bench asset.