Landry Shamet has struggled in Brooklyn, while Saddiq Bey is thriving in Detroit.
Brooklyn Nets fans who were excited to see which player Sean Marks, known for his ability to find gems outside of the lottery, selected in the 2020 NBA Draft saw all of their hopes ebb away when Marks traded the pick away in a deal that sent Luke Kennard to the Los Angeles Clippers, young swingman Landry Shamet to Brooklyn, and the No. 19 pick to the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons used that pick on Villanova sharpshooting big Saddiq Bey, who has already cracked Dwane Casey’s starting lineup in Detroit. Shamet has been one of the biggest disappointments for Brooklyn this season, as he is shooting just 31 percent from the field and 25 percent from three.
Man, it's been a rough go for Landry Shamet so far. pic.twitter.com/MU8RU1yHxO
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) January 11, 2021
Bey is only shooting 37 percent from the floor, but he is hitting on 44 percent of his six three-point attempts per game. Bey, who is also bringing down 4.7 rebounds per game, currently ranks fifth among rookies in scoring at 10.6 points per game. Every player that is ahead of Bey on that list was picked in the lottery, while GM Troy Weaver unearthed Bey at pick No. 19 thanks to the Nets.
Even without Kevin Durant needing to miss time due to the league’s COVID-19 rules, the Nets could use a stretch power forward with defensive versatility. Doing so would fix their rebounding issues while helping finally crack the interior defense code that has them puzzled right now. Instead, they added a redundant young guard in Shamet that can’t buy a bucket right now, while Bey is becoming a part of the Pistons’ long-term plans.
Saddiq Bey in 24 minutes tonight
— PistonsThoughts (@PistonsThoughts) January 7, 2021
20 points
6/14 FG
6/10 for 3
10 (!!!!) rebounds
3 assists
19th pick in the NBA draft. The Pistons got themselves a steal
Shamet is still very young himself, and his recent history shows that he is on the verge of breaking out and shutting up the haters.
However, Bey appears to be blossoming into a star in Motown, and giving him up for Shamet could end up haunting the Nets for some time.
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