Boston Celtics: 3 wildcard late-season additions
By Mark Nilon
Iman Shumpert
Iman Shumpert was a valuable contributor for the Brooklyn Nets during his 13-game stint even if he wasn’t the most efficient scorer. The team went 9-4 during that stretch, including a Black Friday victory over the Boston Celtics in Brooklyn.
Shumpert was a tremendous defensive presence and really good in the locker room, but #Nets clearly opted to keep their younger players intact, including David Nwaba, Theo Pinson, Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs. https://t.co/kRajsO9vlt
— Shlomo Sprung (@SprungOnSports) December 12, 2019
Alan Mena of FanSided’s Empire Writes Back put his short stint into perspective:
"Before Shumpert’s arrival, the Nets were sitting at seventeenth in defensive rating (108.9) in November and are currently twenty-first in defensive rating (111.7) in December.In the thirteen games that Shumpert played in, the Nets rose to fourteenth in defensive rating (108) and went 9-4 after a poor start to the season (4-7)."
Shumpert would add playoff experience to a group that lacks it in the second unit. Instead of turning to Javonte Green in a pinch, Stevens could instead use a seasoned veteran who has championship experience.
While there are more offensively gifted options on the market, Shumpert brings the kind of defensive versatility that can make the second unit–with Marcus Smart and Semi Ojeleye–a scary unit.