Time is running short.
With OG Anunoby sidelined for Games 3 and 4 of the second round due to a right hamstring strain, Miles McBride stepped into the starting lineup, allowing bench players more time on the court. Landry Shamet, who had been overshadowed in the rotation, took full advantage of this opportunity.
He logged 37 minutes and racked up 27 points across both games.
“Landry didn’t see any significant playing time until now,” coach Mike Brown noted. “In the first round, he briefly got into the rotation but wasn’t really featured after that. He hadn’t made much of an impact for the past six or seven games. But he was vital on both offense and defense.”
Those minutes, however, may soon be cut back again as Anunoby is anticipated to return for Game 1 of the conference finals.
McBride will likely revert to a bench role. Along with him, Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson, and Jose Alvarado had been critical components of Brown’s second unit. Originally, Shamet was positioned ahead of Alvarado, but Brown switched that up to have a more natural point guard when Brunson wasn’t on the floor.
It doesn’t seem likely that Brown will opt for a 10-man rotation that includes Shamet.
Brown has shown he’s willing to alter his lineup at any moment. So, with the team at full strength, it’s tough to envision how Shamet could find his way back onto the court.
In another note, Mark Cuban, the Mavericks’ owner during Jalen Brunson’s early career, expressed his disapproval of one of Brunson’s recent sponsorship deals.
Cuban took to X to share, “It’s time to tell your agent to find a deal with a respected partner,” tagging Brunson in the post. “CAA, you messed up.”
He attached a link to an advertisement featuring Mr. Branson’s Evernorth Health Services. Cuban, it turns out, also runs the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, which aims to provide affordable generic medications challenging big pharmaceutical companies.
In a different arena, Karl-Anthony Towns, who has a passion for card collecting, announced that he placed a bid of $42,100 on a Randy Orton autograph from WrestleMania 41 on eBay.
Sharing his disappointment on Instagram, Towns, who goes by bigbodegascards, mentioned, “This makes me sick! We thought that card was ours, but a last-minute bid blindsided us! Who snagged it? We need to know!”
