Start, Bench, Cut: Washington Wizards backcourt edition

Cut: Landry Shamet

There is a solid argument to be made for why Landry Shamet should be the odd man out in the crowded backcourt of the Washington Wizards. Shamet is by no means the worst player out of this group. In fact, he is the best shooter, and can potentially help a playoff team. He just doesn’t make too much sense on this team.

Shamet is already 26 years old, and due to his lack of size, strength, and athleticism, doesn’t offer much more upside than who he is as a player right now. He is a good shooter with high volume and versatility to his shot, and he has some secondary playmaking abilities. He doesn’t do much else offensively and he is a weak defender on the other end. He would be close to impossible to play next to Jordan Poole and Corey Kispert due to the defensive limitations.

If the Wizards were trying to maximize wins in the 2023-24 season, holding onto Shamet wouldn’t be a bad idea. He helps space the floor and has solid playoff experience as he made the postseason every year of his career. Having high-level NBA experience is something this young team could use.

However, that is not what the 2023-24 Washington Wizards are trying to do. The priority is to develop their young players and Shamet doesn’t do enough to help with that except provide some floor spacing. The rotation role should ideally be given to someone who can aid the development of the young players more.