Landry Shamet – Shinsuke Nakamura
The hardest comparison I had. This one makes sense to me because both of these guys left a team/company that really appreciated their talents, and they continued to thrive in their new company.
Shinsuke Nakamura was a beloved wrestler for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He had more memorable matches than I can count, fighting incredible talent like AJ Styles, Tanahashi, and Okada. Despite being loved in Japan, he decided to come to the WWE in 2016 and face off against new talent.
Landry Shamet was also beloved in Philadelphia as a rookie. He came into the league as a sniper and quickly showed why he had that reputation. When he was included in the Tobias Harris trade, a lot of 76ers fans were displeased that their rookie was a part of the package.
Their signatures also link these two. For years, Shinsuke Nakamura has finished matches with the Kinshasa (known as the Bomaye in Japan). This finisher has him flinging himself into his appointment with his knee cocked forward, driving the knee into the face (or back of the head) of his opponent. The nature of this move (no setup, quick to perform) means it can come out of anywhere and any match can be over in the blink of an eye.
Shamet’s 3s have the same sort of feel. He already hit some big shots as a rookie (including the go-ahead 3 against the Warriors in the playoffs). When Landry Shamet is on the floor, you can’t take your eyes off of him as a defender. If you do, and if you let him get some space, he can bomb a 3 over you before you realize what happened.
What do you think about my comparisons? Any better ideas, or more accurate comparisons? Let me know!