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For Landry Shamet, Indiana is where it all began

By Tony East

Landry Shamet talking to reporters at his pre-draft workout
Landry Shamet talking to reporters at his pre-draft workout /
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Landry Shamet participated in the Pacers pre-draft workout process on Thursday. But his story in Indiana started way before that.

In the St. Vincent center on Thursday, the scene was a group of prospects doing their best to show the Pacers brass one thing: that they would be excellent fits with the Indiana Pacers. There were six players in total. But Landry Shamet was the standout of the group.

Shamet was the only prospect from the Thursday group with first-round potential, and he has been tied to Indiana at the 23rd pick in some mock drafts. He’s doing his best to familiarize with the Pacers already, albeit unintentionally.

“I’ve been going [to workout] to UCLA and there’s guys like Stephen Jackson in there, really wily veteran guys that you can just soak up a lot of information from by just playing a couple pick-up games with.” When asked if Cap’n Jack could still play, Shamet dropped more Pacer bombs: “He can still play. Glenn Davis is up there, Chris Copeland’s up there, Baron Davis was up there.”

Playing with Copeland and Jackson is keen, and a beneficial way to learn basketball for the young guard. But his ties with Indiana started long before the pre-draft process. Ironically, it started in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

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Shamet’s Wichita State Shockers entered the 2017 NCAA tournament as the 10th seed in the South Region, but their first and second round games were played in BLF. They squared off against Dayton in the first round, and Shamet’s Shockers pulled off the upset. He led the way for his team with 13 points in the win.

“[Being in Indianapolis] is kinda a homecoming, a little full circle for me. It’s pretty cool to see that arena and stuff. And that’s when all the NBA kinda stuff started.” He clarified: “That’s when the noise, the reality of it all happening, [the NBA] was a reality to me. To come back is pretty cool.”

Shamet had a coming out party that season. After current NBAers Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet left Wichita State, he became the leader of the team and took over right away. He contributed 11.4 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting a scorching 43.9 percent from beyond the three-point line. Being an initiator of the offense and an excellent shooter opened up the NBA doors for Shamet. Succeeding on the biggest stage, in Indianapolis for the NCAA tournament, let him step through that door.

Shamet is handling the pre-draft process superbly for a guy who only knew he had a shot at the pros for just over a year. He’s already worked out for five teams, and he has at least five more to go. But he’s not tired. “It’s has been fun. To be honest, the travel and all that stuff hasn’t taken it out of me as much as I thought it would. Being in a different time zone every day is a little different. But as far as my energy level goes, it has been pretty consistent. That was the biggest obstacle I thought I would have to face, but it has been surprisingly easier than I expected.”

You can tell Shamet is destroying every obstacle. His workout went incredibly well. He thought he started off slow, but he finished out with an excellent shooting performance, showcasing his 43.7 percent three-point shooting he had in college:

Shamet envisions himself as more of a combo guard in the pros thanks to his ability to operate off-ball and shoot. He said he likes watching film of Klay Thompson and C.J. McCollum, guys who can both handle the ball well and navigate screens away from the action. He wants to be a weapon. Being versatile is a goal of his.

He said executives want to see him play both on and off the ball. But he’s not worried about adding skills. “In college, I was dominantly on the ball. But I feel confident I can play both spots on the next level.”

He knows he’s good on offense. He can stroke it and lead a unit with almost pro-like skills already. We all saw it at Wichita. But he has weaknesses, too. I asked him what scouts are telling him to work on.

“The defensive end has been the biggest thing. And I’ve known that. I’ll acknowledge that. That is what has been good about having De’Aaron Fox around, you’re guarding one of the quickest guys in the NBA every single day”. Shamet has been working out with Fox on occasion throughout the draft process. “The two biggest critiques on me were that I’m not athletic enough and I can’t defend and I think I showed I can do both of those things [at the NBA draft combine].”

It is crucial that prospects know and address their weaknesses. It shows they have an ability to learn and that they have a good understanding of both their game and, more holistically, the pro game. Shamet is ahead of the curve in that area.

Landry Shamet might be a great fit in Indiana. He can play both guard spots and can initiate an offense, meaning he could play with any variety of players. The question is: will the Pacers select him? 23 would be seen as a bit of a reach, but he will certainly be gone by 50. He’s a high character guy who is smart and has obvious skills, so maybe the consensus is wrong and 23 is a perfect spot for him. He might be the perfect fit here. Who knows.

Next: Pacers Draft Options: Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop

For Landry Shamet, his NBA dream started in Indiana. And his playing career could perhaps start here, too. Good shooting combo-guards have a place in the NBA, and Shamet has one too. Will he be in Indiana? That’s up to the front office.

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