Knicks guard Landry Shamet celebrates during the championship parade in Manhattan
Knicks guard Landry Shamet celebrates during the championship parade in Manhattan
Landry Shamet made the kind of shots that change a playoff series for the Knicks. He shot 47.5% from three in the postseason, and New York did not treat it like a random hot week. The club brought him back on a four-year, $24 million deal.
His regular-season production was useful too: 9.3 points per game, two made threes per night, and 39.2% from deep. The numbers do not make him the headline name on a championship roster. They explain why defenses cannot relax when the second unit checks in.
Knicks guard Landry Shamet at a championship celebration in New York City
Landry Shamet attends a Knicks championship celebration. Photo: Brad Penner-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
The Knicks kept a shooter they trust
I like this deal because it is honest about what Shamet is. He is not being paid to create the whole offense or pretend he is a star. He is there to move without the ball, get his feet set and make the extra defender pay for helping off him.
The postseason was the proof. Shamet did not shrink when the games got tighter. New York kept finding him, and he kept making the shot that was sitting there. That kind of reliability is how a bench stays playable in May and June.
Landry Shamet gives the Knicks a clean answer off the bench
The Knicks will have nights when the starters need more spacing around them. Shamet gives them a simple way to get it without blowing up a lineup. His shooting lets the ball stay in the hands of the creators who are supposed to have it.
There are flashier contracts every summer. This one is about keeping a useful piece of a title team in place, with a skill that will travel to any playoff matchup.