Hornets find out why Landry Shamet is so valuable to Clippers’ offense
When Clippers second-year guard Landry Shamet is making shots from long range like he was during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, he is a big-time threat for his team.
When Shamet is on the court and not making shots from deep, he remains a big-time threat because he is such a lethal shooter.
And that was how it played out for Shamet at Staples Center, as his 14 first-quarter points and presence as a shooting threat thereafter helped the Clippers pick up a 111-96 victory.
He finished the game with 16points, all coming in the first half.
“The ball was going in, and you’re playing and you’re just kind of not thinking,” Shamet said. “I try not to think regardless if things are going well or not going well, whatever it is. I try to play the same game. Shots fell, and I just tried to continue to play my game defensively and offensively just try to keep playing.”
Two days after the Clippers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns they run into issues again before beating the Charlotte Hornets 111-96 at Staples Center.
Shamet came off a screen twice early in the game, curling toward the basketball, both times knocking down three-pointers.
Shamet hit his third and fourth three-pointers in the first quarter without a miss, giving him 12 points.
The guard then executed a backdoor cut for a reverse layup. That gave Shamet 14 points on five-for-five shooting.
Shamet missed his sixth shot attempt late in the first quarter, ending his perfect start.
“It’s good for everybody when he’s making shots and he is on the floor,” Clippers reserve Lou Williams said after scoring 23points.
“I think it just shows. It makes everything smoother. He spaces the floor. You can’t really help off him on the floor, so it was good for him to knock down shots early on to get us going.”
Shamet missed all four of his shot attempts in the second half, including all three of his three-point tries.
But he still finished the game six for 12 from the field and four for nine from three-point range.
He also grabbed four rebounds, dished two assists and was a plus-18.
And whether he was scoring or not, Shamet was a threat the Hornets had to keep an eye on for the entire game.
“I take pride in that offensively, knowing that even if I’m not getting shots, I’m going to do my job and space the floor,” Shamet said. “There were a couple of times after the shots I made I threw it to Trez [Montrezl Harrell]. I didn’t have to cut or anything to get out of there. I just stayed there because I knew my guy wasn’t going to help because if he does, I’m going to dot [make shots] on him. It helps the spacing for sure, and I take pride in that doing my job even if I’m not scoring.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
