When the Brooklyn Nets opened the successful market to acquire James Harden earlier this month, they gave up four players in the process – Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince and Rodions Kurucs – which left them with just 13 players on their active roster .
Although that was good immediately after the deal, the league requires teams to have at least 14 players, meaning that the Nets ended up hiring someone. First, they hired the great Norvel Pelle to help resolve the shallow depth of the attacking court. Now, they have announced the addition of veteran guard Iman Shumpert.
Shumpert, 30, actually played for the last time in the NBA with the Nets, preparing for 13 games off the bench with the team last season before being dismissed. He was unsigned this off season and spent his time working in the hope of a new opportunity that has now arrived.
This may not be the most exciting move, but it’s easy to see why the Nets were interested in Shumpert. Between Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they have three of the league’s most talented scorers and have no trouble scoring points. In fact, in their last game, they lost 147 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder. But, however good his attack, his defense is just as bad.
Since Harden’s debut, they have defended 27th in the league and are allowing 116.1 points for 100 possessions. Shumpert will not go in and solve all of these problems, but he made his name on the defensive end and can protect various positions on the perimeter. Even though he never becomes an important part of the rotation, he is at least another option for coach Steve Nash to try when they fail to stop.