Utah Jazz 2018 NBA Draft Profile: Landry Shamet

If the Utah Jazz want to add a reliable sharpshooter in the 2018 NBA Draft, they’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone better than Wichita State’s Landry Shamet.

When it comes to the later first and early second round of the NBA Draft, it can be hard to pin down where exactly a player will land. With so many unknowns about the prospects that fall into that range, determining how they stack up is far from a sure thing.

That description perfectly fits Wichita State product Landry Shamet. Some mocks have him rising as high as the late first round, others have him dropping well into the second.

Depending who is left on the board when the Utah Jazz select at No. 21 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, they may feel that there are more promising options available than Shamet. However, it’s also entirely possible that they’ll feel he best fills a need and could be an ideal fit for them.

The major reason for that kind of thinking would almost certainly have to do with the fact that Shamet is one of the best shooters in this year’s draft. In his final season with the Shockers, he shot a whopping 44.2 percent on nearly six attempts per game from deep. The year before that he went an only slightly lower 43.9 percent, which speaks to his consistency.

Shamet is an absolute stud from the 3-point line, which is a major commodity in today’s league. For that very fact, the Utah Jazz could very well pursue his services when it becomes their turn to select in this year’s draft. It’s no secret that the Jazz need to add more shooting to their ranks to better space the floor and make room for the likes of slashing Donovan Mitchell or paint giant Rudy Gobert, and a guy like Shamet would do just the trick.

While his 3-point game is certainly his most stand-out trait, I wouldn’t say that’s his lone strength by any stretch of the imagination. He’s also an extremely smart player who moves the ball well (he averaged 5.2 assists last season), takes smart shots and simply makes the right basketball play. He plays with a winner’s mentality and appears as if he would fit perfectly with the Jazz culture on the court and in the locker room.

His ability to shoot off the dribble as well as catch-and-shoot makes him a more versatile offensive threat than he gets credit for. And he’s also formidable on the other end of the court as well. Shamet isn’t the lockdown defender that other potential Jazz draft prospects such as Khyri Thomas or Keita Bates-Diop are, but he’s still effective on that end of the floor with a surprising lateral quickness and solid defensive instincts.

While he isn’t necessarily the one that you’d want guarding an opponents’ best player, within a solid team defense system such as that of the Jazz, he could very well thrive. Thus, while calling him a 3-and-D player is a bit of a stretch, he’s certainly mastered the “3” part, more so than many of his peers, and is a positive on defense as well.

The biggest concerns about Shamet are his lack of size and strength. Though he stands at six-foot-four, he weighs in at just 180 pounds. To hold his own against some of the bigger guards in the league, he’d probably have to aim to bulk up somewhat. He’s also not an elite athlete by any means and needs to improve his ability to get to and finish at the rim.

That’s not to say that he isn’t good at driving or finishing, but he can be reluctant in that aspect at times and certainly has room to further improve in terms of his ball-handling and attacking the paint.

With how dominant his 3-point shooting stroke is, he’ll certainly command respect from the perimeter. If he could then add a solid driving and finishing game to his repertoire, he would almost certainly turn into quite the foe to be reckoned with. At 21 years old, Shamet isn’t a spring chicken by NBA Draft standards, but would bring valuable experience to the table while still having room to improve.

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In order for the Jazz to feel confident drafting him, they’d likely have to decide just how high his ceiling still is. While his shooting is a coveted asset, they’ll need him to bring even more to the table, so if they feel that potential is there, then he could be a nice selection.

Truthfully, Shamet isn’t my top option for the Jazz at No. 21, though I do think he is a good one. However, with several mock drafts pinning him to tumble well down into the second round, the Jazz would potentially be unwise to use their 21st pick on him, despite their serious need for shooting that he would undeniably fill.

At the same time, Utah’s second-round pick at No. 52 is likely far too late to be able to scoop up an elite shooter such as Shamet. With that being the case, I suppose my dream situation would be the Jazz use the No. 21 pick to select a more versatile player, then ideally find a way to trade up in the second round to nab Landry Shamet. It’s not all that likely to occur that way, but one can dream, right?

Next: Utah Jazz 2018 NBA Draft Profile: Keita Bates-Diop

The fact of the matter is that if the Jazz find themselves prizing elite 3-point shooting over any other trait when they select in this year’s draft, they’re going to have a hard time finding anyone more promising than Shamet. He was a knock-down shooter in college with one of the smoothest shots and cleanest releases you’ll find. His knack for draining the deep-ball alone could very well earn him a lengthy NBA career.

So if Utah feels that’s their best bet at No. 21, I’d be entirely content with them reaching for Shamet with that late first-round pick, despite the fact that he could very well still be attainable far later on.