Landry Shamet perfect pick for Pistons in 2nd round

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By @EvanPetzold

The Detroit Pistons have the 42nd overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft tonight and the team needs depth at the point guard position.

Thankfully, Wichita State redshirt sophomore point guard Landry Shamet might be feasible.

After adding new head coach Dwayne Casey to the fold, Detroit is rocking the Motor City with a starting lineup of Reggie Jackson, Reggie Bullock, Stanley Johnson, Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.

The bench is an issue, along with the health of Jackson as a point guard. At 27 years old, Jackson has been unable to maintain his status on the court, playing 52 and 45 games in the previous two seasons, respectively. When Jackson is not playing, Ish Smith is the starter and Jameer Nelson is the backup. Nelson, 35, averaged 3.7 points and 3.3 assists in seven games for Detroit in the 2017-18 season. He is not enough. Neither is Dwight Buycks.

But Shamet is the answer.

The Pistons likely will not trade up for Trae Young, Collin Sexton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lonnie Walker, Ellie Okobo, Aaron Holiday or De’Anthony Melton, who are projected as first-round draft picks. But Shamet is expected to be selected near the middle of the second round.

The 2018 draft is unprecedented because there is an abundance of depth. For example, a player taken in the middle of the second round might equate closer to one selected in the middle of the first round in previous drafts.

At 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, Shamet is an admirable shooter, converting on 44.2 percent of shots from 3-point range and 48.9 percent of shots from the field in the 2017-18 season. Remember, the NBA is changing. Three-pointers are becoming the norm for all players, regardless of their size and position.

The 21-year-old’s size is perfect for the point guard position. Being 6-foot-4, he is tall enough to see over his defender and quick enough on his feet to get to the basket.

Throughout his time at Wichita State, Shamet proved he was a wiz in the pick-and-roll, as analyzed by Taylor Eldridge of the Wichita Eagle. Having Drummond and Griffin in the frontcourt, Detroit, as it has in the past with Jackson and Drummond, should use the pick and roll regardless of which player brings the ball up the court. However, having an experienced pick-and-roll player is key to getting the full use out of the big men, especially Drummond.

Eldridge breaks Shamet’s pick-and-roll abilities down into five categories:

1. Shamet has a great hesitation dribble
2. Shamet can exploit his length
3. Shamet is great at setting up the defense
4. When defenders go under, Shamet goes up
5. Shamet has a gravitational pull on the defense

Eldridge writes: “According to Synergy’s data, more than a third (38.5 percent) of Shamet’s offensive usage last season came off the pick and roll. These plays resulted in 190 points on 175 possessions for a PPP of 1.09, which ranked in the 96th percentile of players who had at least 100 such possessions.”

When Jackson was out with an injury, Smith, Nelson and Buycks deteriorated in the pick-and-roll with Smith and Nelson standing at 6-foot and Buycks coming in at 6-foot-3. The height of Shamet gives him an advantage in just about every facet of the game.

For a bigger sized point guard, the only element to consider that causes red flags is Shamet’s overall build. Jackson is 208 pounds. Shamet is 180 pounds. Most NBA point guard weigh in around 200 pounds. Especially with Shamet’s height, he needs to bulk up.

Gaining a few pounds of muscle should not be a concern with top-ranked trainers and strength staff in the NBA. So, while it’s a red flag, it’s a fixable problem.

The Pistons need depth at the point guard position and if Shamet is available, he has to be the clear choice. He fits the mold with everything Detroit is looking for.

The last time Detroit took a point guard was Spencer Dinwiddie in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, but the Pistons traded him away. He averaged 12.6 points, 6.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game in the 2017-18 season for the Brooklyn Nets.

Detroit – if Shamet is on the board when No. 42 comes around, draft him.

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