Landry Shamet proves the value of minimum contracts in the Finals | NBA Insider
Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:
NBA Insider
For the teams with stars on max contracts, going from contender to champion can come down to what kind of value the guys on the smallest salaries provide.
The Knicks don’t win the first two games in San Antonio without Landry Shamet continuing a scorching-hot playoff run into the Finals. After going a preposterous 11 for 12 from 3 against the Cavaliers in the conference finals, Shamet started the Finals by going 6 for 13 from deep in Games 1 and 2. He’s playing 31.5 minutes per game to start the Finals and is yet to commit a turnover against the Spurs. After being drafted by Philadelphia in 2018, Shamet bounced from the 76ers to the Clippers, Nets, Suns and Wizards before signing with the Knicks.
“Those plays in the margins — Shamet had a couple of big 3s — those are the types of plays that that’s the difference in the game,” Nuggets forward Cam Johnson said on a recent episode of the podcast ‘The Old Man and the Three.’
“If Landry Shamet can continue to shoot the way he’s been shooting, it is going to be really hard on San Antonio.”
San Antonio and Oklahoma City’s situations are different, as some of their stars were still on rookie contracts. The Celtics got good minutes from Luke Kornet, who was on a minimum contract for Boston’s 2024 championship squad before signing with the Spurs. Jeff Green made slightly more than minimum while providing value depth during Denver’s 2023 title run.
Unless the Nuggets tear it down to the studs and completely revamp the roster around Nikola Jokic, Denver’s going to need to get production from minimum salaries to make the most of the final seasons of Jokic’s prime. The good news for Nuggets fans is Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace’s front office has already demonstrated an ability to do just that.
Tim Hardaway Jr. played last season on a veteran minimum worth $3.6 million, finished third in the Sixth Man of the Year race and made the second-most 3-pointers in a season in franchise history. Bruce Brown also took a minimum to come back to Denver. He again served as an every-night member of the rotation.
The bad news is the Nuggets are capped at offering Hardaway and Brown 120% of their previous salary to return next season since they don’t have either’s Bird rights. It’s the same situation the Nuggets were in with Brown after the 2023 season.
Tyus Jones and David Roddy are among the other players who finished last season in Denver who could be back on minimum contracts.
It’s going to be hard to find athletic, defensive-minded players who provide enough offense to be playable on a minimum contract, but it might not be impossible.
Keon Ellis, Josh Okogie, Matisse Thybulle, Gary Payton II and Jaylen Clark fit the mold on the perimeter, while Marvin Bagley III, Andre Drummond and Jock Landale could be bargain-bin options on the inside.
What I’m Reading
Sam Vecenie dropped his latest mock draft for The Athletic on Monday morning. He’s got the Nuggets selecting Stanford’s one-and-done guard Ebuka Okorie at the end of the first round and Tobias Jensen, a 6-foot-6 guard who played in Germany last season, at the end of the second.
(Stephen Swofford, Denver Gazette)
What I’m Thinking
The Nuggets are better off going with a proven player at the end of the first round.
A one-and-done player who’s available with the 26th pick will come with a higher ceiling and a much lower floor. Upside is alluring to rebuilding teams for good reason. That’s not the situation Denver should be in anytime soon.
Taking an older player with more polish is the play for a Denver team.
If the Nuggets want to take a long shot on upside, they can find a lottery ticket in the back end of the second round.
Whichever way the Nuggets go will reveal a lot about the front office’s thinking. Pick 26 will be the first made by Tenzer and Wallace’s front office.
What They’re Saying
Nuggets coach David Adelman talked with Portland author Kerry Eggers about his late father, Rick, who died last week. The full story is available at kerryeggers.com.
“Dad cared about the players and not himself. He believed in the group. He wanted the group to do well. He wanted his staff to do well,” David said. “He was the guy in charge, but there was a genuine care there. That is hard to find in any aspect of life nowadays. When you are like that, people will follow you, because they believe you have their best interests at heart. He was always that way — with his family, with his players.”
Thunder general manager Sam Presti held his end-of-season press conference Monday and talked about the scrutiny Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received after another Most Valuable Player campaign.
“He’s playing against six people. He’s got five defenders and the sixth defender is social media.”
What I’m Following
- With President Trump attending Monday’s Game 3, Madison Square Garden implemented stricter security protocols that included limiting the number of fans surrounding the arena.
- The Hawks and coach Quin Snyder agreed to a multiyear contract extension after a 46-36 regular season and a playoff berth.
- Toronto promoted Bobby Webster to executive vice president and signed him to a multiyear contract extension. Webster stepped up last year after Masai Ujiri was fired.