NBA Rookie Rankings: 5 guys who will matter in the playoffs

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 10: Landry Shamet #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Detroit Pistons on December 10, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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TORONTO, ON – DECEMBER 05: Landry Shamet #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers during their NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on December 5, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

1. Landry Shamet

The 76ers have legitimate dreams of winning an NBA Championship. That doesn’t mean Landry Shamet needs to be their postseason star, but he does need to be a positive contributor off of Brett Brown’s bench.

More specifically, Philadelphia needs Shamet to come off the bench and knock down 3s. Guys like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are going to command a lot of attention in the paint. That leaves it up to players like Shamet and J.J. Reddick to make opponents pay when they elect to double team Philly’s stars.

Shamet is currently getting up 4.6 3s per night and he’s shooting a respectable percentage of 38.5 percent. He’s not doing a ton from inside the arc, but that’s not in his current job description.

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Don’t expect Shamet to get a ton of shots up in the postseason, but he could very easily find himself taking some perimeter jumpers for his team. His ability to wriggle free off of screens is going to help him stay on the floor late in games. Shamet could easily end up with a big shot or two that could prove to be the difference between glory and disappointment for the Sixers.

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