Landry Shamet started his Knicks tenure as badly as anyone could. After winning over Tom Thibodeau and playing more and better than expected in the preseason, he suffered a dislocated right shoulder and was cut soon after. And when he recovered and finally returned to the team, he was, more often than not, bad. The Knicks’ lack of depth didn’t do Shamet any favors, as he was asked to play more than he likely should’ve been playing. And the ensuing results were difficult to watch.
His effort on the defensive end was commendable, but he’s an undersized wing who isn’t particularly athletic, and it left fans wanting more from the backup veteran. But fans could’ve put up with his mediocre, and at times, even good, defense if his shot was falling. Unfortunately for him, the Knicks, and the fans, though, it was not. The former first-round pick, who came into the league as a shooter, struggled mightily from downtown, shooting just 29% from three over his first 19 games of the season. That, combined with his inability to get his own shot or create for others, made him relatively useless on that end of the floor.
But for a couple of weeks now, Shamet has been the kind of serviceable wing everyone has clamored for. He admittedly still falls a bit short (no pun intended) of being the ideal piece that this team needs on the bench. He isn’t going to get any bigger. His shooting, despite being better as of late, could revert to being inconsistent. And his defense is good, but it won’t reach an elite level. But he’s come a long way from being the barely playable backup whose minutes were so often difficult to put up with.
In his last 13 games, Shamet is averaging 5.6PPG, which isn’t particularly impressive, but he has shot 54.7% from the field and, more importantly, 41.4% from three on just over two attempts per game, all while remaining an above-average defender. And in March, to the surprise of many, it’s not Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, or Mikal Bridges who is tied with Deuce McBride for the highest net rating on the team. That honor goes to, yup, you guessed it, Shamet. The journeyman also ranks 20th in the league in defensive rating among players who average 15 or more minutes per game.
When Shamet, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday, spoke to the media earlier this week, he spoke about feeling good, saying, “Yeah, knock on wood. I’m in a good spot,”. He also continued to talk about feeling the urgency heading into the final stretch, saying, “I think all of us collectively are gearing up for this last stretch. There’s been a heightened sense of urgency from all of us to get going. So kind of knowing what we have coming down the stretch, getting some things cleaned up and just trying do whatever— all of us do what’s asked of us to put us in a good situation.”
This isn’t to propose that Shamet is some secret weapon that the Knicks have. He’s still somewhat limited in what he can do, he likely won’t play big minutes come playoff time, and he won’t be putting up any eye-popping numbers. But given how loud everybody, including myself, was about his poor play to start his season, he deserves some recognition for turning it around and finding some semblance of a rhythm. If he can continue to knock down open threes and defend the way he has for the majority of his Knicks tenure, then the Knicks may have themselves a serviceable, and at times, even good, rotational piece.