Player Review: Landry Shamet Shoots his Shot

In his second season with the LA Clippers, Landry Shamet proved that he'll be a valuable asset for years to come.

With everything that's happened since the LA Clippers were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in April 2019, it's been easy to forget about Landry Shamet. He was pushed out of the starting rotation when the franchise acquired Paul George and Kawhi Leonard over the summer, and numerous roster changes since then have made his role hard to define.

Despite all that, Shamet has continued to be a consistent contributor from beyond the arc, and he's improved his all-around game as well.

Before we assess his performance this season, let's take a look at how he arrived in Los Angeles.

Beginnings

Shamet was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. A third-year guard out of Wichita State, Shamet was coveted for his three-point shot and playmaking ability.

He appeared in 54 of Philadelphia's games from October to February, averaging 8.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. His biggest selling point, though, was his efficiency from three-point range. Shamet was shooting 40.4% from deep on 4.5 attempts per game with Philly, and he was doing so as former Clippers guard JJ Redick's primary backup. 

Shamet flashed all sorts of potential, and a few weeks before the trade deadline, he had the best game of his career: A 29-point outing against the Washington Wizards in which he shot 8-of-14 from downtown. 

As good as Shamet was, Philly wasn't necessarily in development mode last season. Instead, the franchise needed to improve the starting rotation. So on February 6, Shamet was dealt to the Clippers along with Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala and two first-round picks in exchange for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and Mike Scott. 

It was tough for LA to part with Harris, especially since he was expected to re-sign last summer, but it had to be done if the Clippers were going to bring in Leonard. Fortunately, Shamet looked the part of a high-level role player early on.

In his first game with the Clippers, Shamet went off for 17 points in a come-from-behind win over the Boston Celtics — 13 of which were scored in the fourth quarter. A few weeks later, he scored 20+ points in consecutive games against the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks, shooting a combined 12-of-21 from deep.

He had already forced his way into the starting rotation by then, taking on a role similar to the one Redick had during the Lob City era. His job was to get going early, jump-starting the offense with some easy buckets in the first quarter.

And while Shamet impressed Clippers fans during the regular season, he didn't catch the eye of the national media until he hit the game-winning shot in LA's 31-point comeback against the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

With that, it looked as though he would be a key piece for the Clippers for years to come. 

So how did he build upon all of that in 2019-2020?

Performance 

Shamet struggled in two major areas during his first stint with LA late last season: Defense and two-point field goal percentage. 

That isn't to say he's a liability defensively — he's at least better than Lou Williams on that end, and his quickness helps him stay in front of opposing players — but at 6-feet-4-inches and 188 pounds, he's limited mostly to people his size and below.

That said, Shamet isn't asked to be a great defender. His shooting and movement on offense offset what he lacks on defense. 

But his shooting from inside the arc was a major issue last season, particularly with the Clippers. In 25 regular-season games for LA, he made just 32.2% of those looks, which is well below the league average. He had a hard time converting at the rim, and his mid-range jumpers looked awkward as well. 

Fortunately, Shamet knew his limits and didn't attempt these shots very often. Eventually, though, defenses would learn how to get him off the three-point line, meaning he'd need to work on becoming a more well-rounded shooter.

He's already shown signs of that this season.

While his three-point percentage has dipped a bit, Shamet has brought his rate from inside the arc up to 49.4% — a massive improvement compared to last season. He still isn't taking a ton of two-pointers — just 83 of his 351 field goal attempts in '19-20 came from that range — but it's a welcome sign of what's to come.

That said, Shamet has endured his fair share of struggles this season, which can mostly be attributed to the whiplash he's experienced with his role. 

Shamet has played point guard, shooting guard and small forward and has started a handful of games at each position. Some nights he plays for 40 minutes, others he plays less than 10. 

He was at his best from mid-January right up until the All-Star break, when he averaged 14.1 points on 45.1% shooting from three-point range, but he's seriously struggled since then, averaging 5.7 points on 28.2% shooting. The most recent stretch coincides with Reggie Jackson's arrival in Los Angeles, which has forced the Clippers to cut back on Shamet's minutes.

There is likely a solution in which Shamet can play a consistent role alongside Jackson and Williams off the bench, but with the season's suspension, that remains to be seen.

Otherwise, Shamet was impressive in 2019-2020, proving that he'll be a valuable asset for years to come. The Clippers just need to find a way to make the most of his elite shooting ability.

Grade: B

Outlook

Shamet is under contract with the Clippers through the 2020-2021 campaign, and he has a team option for the following season. Given he's still on a rookie-scale contract, he's one of the most valuable players on the team and shouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. 

As far as his role is concerned, Shamet could very well get his normal minutes back next season. Jackson is set to become a free agent this summer, and if the Clippers choose not to bring him back, Shamet should slide right back into the 2 alongside Williams.