Phoenix Suns G Landry Shamet finally made his return to the court on Sunday night after missing 25 games due to a right foot injury. In just 20 minutes of play, Shamet scored 10 points while going 3-4 FG from downtown.
“Felt good just to be back playing,” Shamet said (h/t Duane Rankin). “It’s been a long two months just having to sit and watch. Felt good. Felt good to get back out there and I’m excited for what we have coming down the stretch.”
Going forward Shamet will be on a minutes restriction, but he showed a ton of positive signs in his return to action.
“I thought he was good,” Suns coach Monty Williams said following the game. “Unfortunate he’s on a minute restriction. Probably got him a little bit more than we planned on. We’ll see how he responds, but he spaced the floor well. Defensively, he’s a guy that we trust to play on the ball and get over screens. It was good to have him back in the lineup.”
Could Shamet potentially be the Suns’ fifth starter? Will Phoenix count on Shamet to close games come playoff time?
He certainly has the tools to bolster other players like Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Shamet is an excellent shooter which will help space the floor.
Through this season Shamet is averaging 9.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He is a selfless player who does not need the ball in his hands, which is perfect since Phoenix has three ball-dominant players in their starting lineup.
Not only does Shamet contribute on the offensive end but he is also a very competent defender - which will be extremely valuable come playoff time.
The Suns have a couple different options of players they could plug into the starting rotation and close out close games including Torrey Craig, Josh Okogie and T.J. Warren.
All these options make sense for Phoenix. Now that Shamet is back from injury, he will have the chance to prove why he deserves that role.
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