Philadelphia 76ers: Jahmi’us Ramsey is this year’s Landry Shamet
Jahmi’us Ramsey could be the Philadelphia 76ers’ next Landry Shamet.
The last time the Philadelphia 76ers drafted an undersized two-guard from Texas Tech, it didn’t go well.
Granted, one could blame that on a number of things, from the shoulder chip many a fan gained after Brett Brown traded away hometown hero Mikal Bridges, to a borderline homicidal soybean heckbent on derailing the funniest Sixers team of the last decade, but if the name Zhaire Smith is only uttered twice a season when his new team comes to town, I don’t think a single fan would be all that upset.
If there’s any player in the City of Brotherly Love who could use a change of scenery, it’s Zhaire Smith… okay, and Al Horford too.
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So naturally, when evaluating guards in the lead up to the 2020 NBA Draft, the Sixers’ front office should probably just throw out every inch of Texas Tech tape, right? Maybe for the Big 12 in general, save of course TCU’s Desmond Bane, a player The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor called tailor-made for Daryl Morey.
Woah, woah, woah, not so fast, my friends. Surely, Texas Tech isn’t exactly an NBA pipeline – even though they’ve had two players go top-15 since 2018 – but they have a guard this year who might give Philly fans some renewed appreciation for Patrick Mahomes’ alma mater: Jahmi’us Ramsey.
Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds with a really cool two-toned hairdo, Ramsey is the kind of shooter built for Instagram mixtapes and Youtube highlight reels. He’s got a dagger of a 3 point shot that he knocks down at a 42.6 percent clip – on 5.2 shots per game – and a reckless abandon when driving to the basket fans in Philly haven’t seen since Lou Williams, maybe even Allen Iverson.
Though Ramsey doesn’t have the elite athleticism – or defensive upside – of Smith, he makes up for it with the sort of instant offense that looks great in college and should immediately translate to points off the bench for pretty much any NBA team.
In a lot of ways, Ramsey could step in and fill the same role as Landry Shamet in 2018-19 – before, of course, he was traded to Doc Rivers and the LA Clippers for a package centered around Tobias Harris.
Like Shamet, Ramsey is a largely overlooked one-way guard from an unconventional school with a ton of swag and the willingness to let it fly despite his rookie status. While he probably shouldn’t be relied upon to put up 20 points per game, it’s entirely possible Ramsey could be putting up half a dozen 3s a game both as a spot-up shooter or in the pick-and-roll two-man game a la vintage J.J. Redick and Joel Embiid.
Gosh, do you remember Redick running all over the court like a mad man to try to get an open shot? Boy, those were the days.
Factor in Ramsey’s deceptively decent abilities as a passer and his 1.3 steals per game over his 27 games at Texas Tech, and it’s entirely possible the 19-year-old Arlington native could work his way into the Sixers’ rotation in no time at all, replacing such underwhelming warm bodies as Raul Neto and Glenn Robinson III with an exciting youngster on a long-term, rookie scale deal.
If you, like me, are all in on Tyrell Terry but fear that he likely won’t be on the board at 21 overall, fear not; Ramsey could provide a similar offensive boost for a high second-round pick.
dark. Next. Don’t even try to start a Russell Westbrook rumor
Regardless of how the Philadelphia 76ers decide to use the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft – whether they opt to trade up, trade down, trade it away for a vet, or pick a player – if Jahmi’us Ramsey is on the board at 34 or especially 36, he should be the pick. With a fantastic outside shot, an ability to create his own shot, and the swag of a former Turkey Burger aficionado, Ramsey is the perfect volume-shooting prospective guard to develop over the next few seasons; or to trade away from an established star after 54 games for a veteran forward, who am I to judge?