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Nets: Iman Shumpert is exactly what this roster needs right now

By Mike Luciano

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 08: Iman Shumpert #10 of the Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 08: Iman Shumpert #10 of the Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The Brooklyn Nets are in need of some upgrades to the roster, as the trade for James Harden left the once-deep bench completely eviscerated.

While signing Norvel Pelle should do something in an effort to help the depth and defense, Sean Marks needed to add someone with a bit more NBA experience to really beef up this group. Marks could’ve found that in Iman Shumpert, who is returning to Brooklyn after a brief stint last season.

Knowing that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving needed some veterans on the perimeter, Shumpert agreed to a deal with the Nets in what feels like a perfect match.

Iman Shumpert can be trusted to nail some threes and play aggravating defense on the wing for the Brooklyn Nets

Shumpert came into the league with the New York Knicks after they used a first-round pick on the Georgia Tech star, but some of the best moments in his pro career came when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he helped LeBron James bring a title to Northeast Ohio. His career average of 7.2 points per game shows that Shumpert is more valued as a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions rather than someone who can create on offense.

Shumpert averaged 4.2 points in his brief cameo with the Nets last year, but he’s a career 34% 3-point shooter, showing that he can fill it up from the perimeter if he gets hot. Rather than flip-flopping a poor shooter who can play defense in Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot with a good shooter who can’t D up at all in Landry Shamet, Steve Nash could get a battle-scarred vet like Shumpert plenty of meaningful minutes.

The Nets needed to use their free roster spots on veterans that can help improve one of the worst defenses in the league. Shumpert won’t do that by himself, but he will give Brooklyn a vicious competitor that won’t take a second off on the defensive end. The perfect veteran glue guy, Shumpert could end up being a worthwhile signing for the Nets.