Suns’ Landry Shamet Reflects on 76ers Stint, Playing for Rivers
During the 2018 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected a prospect many viewed as the veteran sharpshooter JJ Redick's eventual successor. Landry Shamet, Philadelphia's 26th overall pick out of Wichita State in 2018, quickly established himself as a rising prospect on a playoff-contending team in his rookie year.
In 54 games with the Sixers, Shamet averaged 20 minutes on the floor, putting up eight points per game and knocking down 40 percent of his threes. During that time, the young guard thrived while learning from one of the league's best three-point shooters in Redick.
Shamet never shied away from his admiration for Redick. Back in February of 2019, Shamet revealed Redick was his number one role model in the league during a pop-up Instagram Q&A session.
While Shamet didn't spend too much time playing alongside Redick as a rookie in Philadelphia, he learned a lot from the retired sharpshooter early on during his NBA career and kept Redick's messages and advice close to him as he navigates through his fifth year in the league as a member of the Phoenix Suns.
"It's just like, really, how do you carry yourself as a pro?" said Shamet, discussing what he's learned from Redick throughout his rookie season. "How do you work?"
As Shamet sat at his locker in Philadelphia on Monday night hours before facing his former team once again, he told one of his favorite stories about a time when Redick turned Shamet's frustration into a congratulatory moment.
"I remember my first game in Memphis that year," Shamet recalled. "I think it was the day when we traded for Jimmy (Butler). We had like nine guys or something. Short roster. I went like one for eleven from three. I was so mad — pissed off — I didn't want to talk to nobody. We're in the locker room afterward, and JJ came up to me and was like, 'Dude, you got f****** eleven jacks in an NBA game, f****** congrats, man, that's awesome,' Shamet laughed.
"You know, just like, being able to bring some light into things," he continued. "You're gonna have nights like that, but how do you carry yourself, and how do you work day in and day out?"
Shamet's time as Redick's prodigy lasted roughly five months. In February 2019, the Sixers struck their second blockbuster trade of the year. Landing a trade package containing Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott, the Sixers sent the Los Angeles Clippers Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, draft picks, and Shamet.
In Philadelphia, losing the promising young rookie sharpshooter was a tough pill to swallow. Being the focal point of the trade from Philadelphia's perspective, Shamet saw some value in the fact that he was moved that early on in his career — especially in a deal for a player that was on pace to secure a max contract in the approaching offseason.
"You can look at it that way," Shamet explained. "I told myself in that situation that I played myself into it — a trade asset for a deal that was like that — that can add value to yourself for sure. Ultimately, that's not where affirmation should be sought out. I think it's built through what you do every day over the grand scheme of things. Either way, it happened. That's basketball. That's the business."
When Shamet joined the Clippers in 2019 for the remainder of his rookie season, he was coached by current Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. The young guard would remain under Rivers' management for the rest of the 2018-2019 season, through the end of the 2020 run, which concluded in the bubble.
"It was great," Shamet said, discussing playing for Rivers. "I loved my time with Doc before. It was good having him and the Clippers when I first got out there. Those couple of years with him, a guy that knows how to relate to players seamlessly. He's a good dude, and it was fun to play for him."
Rivers' time in Los Angeles concluded following the Clippers' 2020 playoff run. A few months after Rivers parted ways with the Clippers and joined the Sixers, Shamet moved on from Los Angeles and was moved to the Sixers' division rival, the Brooklyn Nets, in November of 2020.
After one year in Brooklyn, Shamet was moved to Phoenix, where he's currently in the midst of his second season with the organization. Although Shamet spent more time with every other team he's played for in the NBA, his short-lived stint with the Sixers still has an effect on him to this day.
"Man, it made such a big impact on me," he said when talking about Philly. "Every time I come back to the city, it feels like it has some sense of home. It was the first place I played. They drafted me and gave me my opportunity here in the league, and I'm grateful for that. Love from the fans always. It's definitely a city that made an impact on me," Shamet finished. "I'm always grateful to come back."
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
