Landry Shamet had been shopped, then dropped. After the struggling Nets guard had been dangled in trade talks around the league — unsuccessfully — he eventually got pulled from the rotation and plopped on Brooklyn’s bench.
But Shamet stayed ready, and over the past week he’s made his way back into steady playing time the old-fashioned way: He’s earned it, with steady work on the stay-ready team and bounce-back efforts like Saturday’s season-high 22 points.
“He’s finding his rhythm, his confidence,” coach Steve Nash said. “We all know [what] he can be, and hopefully he can continue to build some momentum and belief and confidence and let it fly. He’s always worked hard, he’s always competed. He’s one of the guys you know is going to stick to the game plan, both ends of the floor. Making shots is the last step, and he’s starting to make them.”
Shotmaking is why the Nets made the offseason deal for Shamet, who had been a career 40.2 percent shooter from deep. But he struggled badly out of the gate, and when the Nets reportedly tried to get a first-round pick for him — which could’ve allowed them to keep Jarrett Allen out of the James Harden trade — they found no takers.
After a scoreless 0-for-6 nightmare in Cleveland, Shamet found himself averaging just five points on .320/.286 shooting. He also found himself benched, taking three straight DNPs.
But after getting back into the rotation five games ago in Oklahoma City, he has looked more like his old self. And Shamet said he didn’t change a thing with his shooting stroke, just his head space.
“It’s the NBA; there’s lots of ebbs and flows,” Shamet said. “This just happened to be my first big downtrend. Just change a few things mentally, stay solid, simplify. It’s not the end of the world: It’s basketball. It’s just knowing what I’m capable of and that I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be doing: Working hard, taking care of my body, doing everything I’m supposed to be doing. It’s mostly mental.
“I’m just getting back to me, and trusting my work and what I do on a day-to-day basis, not so caught up in outcomes and a couple shots. I’m just continuing to find spots to be aggressive, be myself, try to help us get wins.”
Shamet did his best to help Saturday despite the absence of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (the latter hoping to return Tuesday vs. Detroit). Shamet got an on-court pep talk from Harden and immediately hit quick 3s in succession en route to a season-high 5-for-13 from deep.
“Landry can help us in a variety of ways. He’s athletic, he can shoot the ball and he’s very smart, and just knows how to play the game of basketball the right way,” Harden said. “Hopefully he can get his confidence back. The last few games he’s been shooting the ball better.”
Over his last five games since his benching, he’s averaging 12 points on 41.3 percent shooting, 37.8 from behind the arc, hoping to shoot his way back into the lineup.
“I view every minute as an opportunity. I’m my biggest critic; I’m hard on myself. It’s gotten me to this point, but it can be a vice,” Shamet said.
“It’s a blessing to be in the NBA. I don’t take that for granted. So, every minute’s an opportunity and you want to capitalize on all of them, not just a stretch where guys are hurt or we’re missing dudes. Every minute even when they’re in the lineup, it all matters. It’s all an opportunity — this is just a little heightened.”
It’s also an opportunity to impress not only Nash but GM Sean Marks. The Nets picked up next season’s $3.7 million option on Dec. 21, and have until October to decide on a rookie extension that would kick in for 2022-23.
“Landry’s emerging here and earning more minutes,” Nash said. “The same goes for the rest of them when they take their opportunity. So definitely could influence the minutes. We’re going to need a bunch of guys here, especially over this week … so guys will get their opportunities.”