Early in the season, the Brooklyn Nets trading the first-round pick that eventually became Detroit Pistons rookie Saddiq Bey in exchange for shooting guard Landry Shamet looked like one of the worst moves of the year, as Shamet started off the year unable to hit the broad side of a barn from 3-point range.
The Nets kept Shamet after the James Harden trade, and he has since responded to their faith in him by shouldering more of the scoring load as Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving have all missed some time due to injuries. Finally, Shamet is looking like the player he was with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Shamet and the Nets might have lost to the Miami Heat after losing Durant in the middle of the game, but the Wichita State product had his best game of the second, scoring a career-high 30 points while making seven 3-pointers.
This was not just a one-game flash in the pan, as Shamet has made some huge improvements since the start of the season. These three stats encapsulate the strides he has made in the last few weeks.
▫️ @landryshamet with a career-high 30 on 7 threes
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 18, 2021
▫️ @KyrieIrving adds 20 and 9
Above and Beyond | @BeyondMeat pic.twitter.com/IWEcTfCJuW
These 3 stats explain Brooklyn Nets wing Landry Shamet’s rise.
Landry Shamet stat No. 1: Increased defensive effort
Over the last 15 games Shamet has played in, he has posted a defensive rating of 107.9, asserting himself as a key factor in Brooklyn’s turnaround on that end of the floor. Considering there were stretches this year where his defensive rating was in excess of 123 points, this is an improvement.
As poorly as he was shooting, it was only a matter of time before he started connecting from long-range again. His defense was never a strong suit, but Shamet is starting to make strides in that area.
Landry Shamet is playing better defense for the Brooklyn Nets.
Shamet doesn’t have to be the second coming of Bobby Jones or Dennis Rodman. Just remain active on the defensive end, try to deflect passes, and keep working to cause turnovers. If he keeps doing that, Shamet should be able to help sustain Brooklyn’s sudden competence on the defensive end.
After Jacque Vaughn completely rewrote the script on defense, Shamet has been giving more consistent effort on the perimeter, as a 6-5 guard with long arms is going to be able to cause some difficulties for opposing guards. Shamet is not just a spot-up shooter, and this stretch is proving that statement true.