While the offseason rumor mill had the Knicks linked to other veterans, Shamet seemed like the safest, most obvious, and overall best option.
Some names might’ve given the Knicks more upside, but many of them came with injury concerns, questions surrounding commitment, worries about fit, or just an overall uncertainty about whether they’d be happy taking on the role they would be opting into. For those reasons, and more, Shamet made sense to many fans. Not only were there apprehensions about signing the other available veterans, but in Shamet, the fans and the front office knew what they’d be getting: a reliable, no-frills player who can hit open shots, defend, and make winning plays.
The seven-year journeyman did get off to a rough start in his first season in New York due to a shoulder injury that sidelined him until the day before Christmas Eve. In his first 37 games as a Knick, he averaged just 3.9PPG, while shooting just 32.9% from three, and it was clear that he had lost a lot of the rhythm and confidence he had built up during the preseason.
But once he found his footing, he quickly became an unsung hero and a surprising fan favorite, making winning plays off the bench. In the final 13 games of the regular season, he averaged 10.9PPG on 48.5% shooting from the field, and 46.3% from three. And in the playoffs, he continued to play well by providing some extremely valuable high-energy minutes and knocking down some very timely shots.
With head coach Mike Brown, as well as bench players Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele coming in this year, it’s still unclear what kind of role he’ll have. But this seems like the right move for everyone involved.