LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 2, 2020

Landry Shamet

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Landry.

Q. This year I know hasn't been the easiest for you to develop rhythm with your injury, coronavirus, getting to the bubble late. What has the last kind of week or two been like as you get more time in the starting and closing lineups? Where has that left your confidence?

LANDRY SHAMET: I mean, it feels good. Obviously as a competitor, you want to be in the game at critical moments. I'm lucky that my coaches and teammates have the trust in me to put me in those situations.

I think it's been really good for this bubble for me. The only thing you got to worry about is basketball. It's been really easy to be super locked in, ultra locked in on a game plan. Nothing but time to put in the additional work and whatnot. It's a number of things.

Being comfortable with whatever role that's thrown at me, owning that. We talk about that a lot as a team. You got to give something up, buy into us trying to win a championship. That's what we're trying to do. Really embracing that. That can change from a night-to-night basis. Going out and doing the best you can.

Q. Last week you touched on the emotional players meetings. What were you able to learn from your teammates in the meetings you had with players and alone that you wouldn't have known about guys in a normal regular season?

LANDRY SHAMET: Well, I mean, this bubble situation kind of generates a lot of situations like that. The regular NBA schedule, I mean, you practice, you have your game, your road trip, after that you go your separate ways, see your families, do your own thing. Here, you're so close quarters, you get a lot more opportunities to really talk, get to know your teammates.

I've really enjoyed it. A lot of guys I've gotten to learn more about, come closer with. It's been really cool, like really rewarding. Also you can feel it on the court. We've grown in that sense, too, camaraderie-wise. It's just been really beneficial.

Q. Doc was saying after Game 6 you could tell that Kawhi was the guy on the team who knew how to close out a series. Do you feel that when you're out there with him?

LANDRY SHAMET: Yeah, I mean, I caught myself kind of laughing when he scored like eight possessions in a row. There was nothing the defense could do about it. You definitely see it and feel it. That guy is a problem, we all know that. At the end of games he kind of goes to that next level. It's not anything that really comes as a surprise. It's what he does, what he's expected to do. We need him to do that.

Q. Walk me through your comfort level, the confidence you developed since being there, the rhythm you seemed to gain.

LANDRY SHAMET: The biggest thing is just trying to stay as level as possible. I mean, last series is over, that doesn't mean anything moving forward. You take bits and pieces of it. You want to keep riding your momentum.

I think the biggest thing is being comfortable, knowing that my team needs me to do what I do, not diverting, still being aggressive knowing that's what's best for our team. When opportunities present themselves, for me to be aggressive, that's what I need to do. They hold me accountable and make sure I continue to be aggressive.

You can point to a multitude of different things, whether it's Doc, my teammates or me, the work I've put in. They all play their part. I'm just trying to do what's best for us as a whole.

Q. As you look at Denver, review some of the tape, any parallels you can draw between the pick'n roll coverages against the Mavs, how you're going to have to adjust against Jamal Murray?

LANDRY SHAMET: At the end of the day we have our defensive principles, what we hang our hat on. It is a different team, different tendencies, different schemes will go into it. They play different than the Mavs do. There's obviously similarities.

They move a little bit more off the ball, have more intricate actions. That's all stuff we'll go through. We've been watching. We feel confident about if we come out and do what we have to do, regardless of who we play, we'll walk away with a win. That's the biggest thing. The right energy, the right focus every night. If we do that, we feel good about whoever we play.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.