Life in the NBA can move quickly. Just ask Landry Shamet.
He was a first-round pick tallying rotation minutes for one of the NBA’s best teams in the Philadelphia 76ers as a rookie, only to be traded to the LA Clippers halfway through his first season. In seven NBA seasons, Shamet has played for six teams, bouncing from one coast to the other — seemingly, every other season. He signed a four-year, $43 million contract with the Phoenix Suns in 2021. This season, he’s on a veteran minimum in New York.
The Knicks guard felt like a lock to start this season as a rotation fixture, but a shoulder injury in the preseason — and New York in the midst of a financial crunch — resulted in him getting waived and not knowing for certain what his future would hold.
Yet, despite the unpredictability of the 27-year-old’s professional journey, one thing has remained constant: Teams want Shamet. As one team moves on from his services, another one welcomes him.
In the blink of an eye, Shamet has gone from promising youngster to a pro’s pro. When called upon this season, Shamet has provided quality minutes for a thin bench in New York.
He isn’t always the flashiest. What he’s done doesn’t always go noticed by the untrained eye. But he’s always ready for whatever is thrown his way.
And with the career he’s had so far, you have to be.
“Playing for a lot of different teams, a lot of different teammates, seeing a lot of different situations, great players, different coaching styles, I think you just build up your memory bank and things you can draw from,” Shamet said. “I’m grateful for the journey I’ve had so far and thankful to be here and try to build and grow with this group.”
Despite being on a non-guaranteed contract before the preseason, Shamet was penciled in to make the Knicks’ main roster before the shoulder injury forced him to take the longer route. Not a conversation passed where coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t mention Shamet’s name when talking about the second unit. Furthermore, his admiration for the veteran continued well into the season.
Shamet may have been out of sight, but he was never out of mind. When talking about the depth of New York and how he wants the second unit to play, Thibodeau would mention a fast pace and always include Shamet when discussing his vision.
At this time, however, Shamet was either at home nursing his shoulder injury (one that didn’t require surgery), or he was with the Westchester Knicks, who selected him with the No. 2 pick in the G League Draft. In the midst of this turbulent time for Shamet, it always felt like he’d be back with the main ball club at some point, even if he wasn’t certain.
You don’t see coaches or teams go out of their way like this for vet-minimum players too often. But Thibodeau and the Knicks, who are financially limited in what they can do with their roster after several big trades over the last year, made it known at every turn that Shamet was in their plans.
“You can execute with him,” Thibodeau said. “He makes the extra pass. He reads the floor well. He hustles on defense. He blocks out and blocks cutters, applies ball pressure, challenges a shot, moves without the ball. There are a lot of things that he does that aren’t necessarily reflected in statistics but help a team function well.”
Landry Shamet (44) has played for six NBA teams in seven seasons, but he’s found an opportunity in New York and has the trust of coach Tom Thibodeau. (Mike Watters / Imagn Images)
One of the many draws of adding Shamet this offseason, Thibodeau said, was that he’s played on winners in the past. The longest stop at one spot in Shamet’s career were his two seasons in Phoenix (2021-23), where the organization was in the midst of its most successful run in recent seasons. Beyond that, Shamet played on winning teams at every stop in his career until he joined the Washington Wizards last season. The 76ers team he played with as a rookie ultimately finished as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. From there, he went to the Clippers and the Brooklyn Nets, both of whom carried above-.500 records.
In New York, this season is the most anticipated in quite some time. The pieces are in place to win at a high level. That level of pressure isn’t foreign to Shamet. In Phoenix, he was the backup to Devin Booker, one of the league’s best shooting guards. Heavy minutes aren’t a given under those circumstances, but the expectations to keep the ship afloat while being on the court are.
“It’s just opportunity,” said teammate Mikal Bridges, who played with Shamet in Phoenix. “If you play behind one of the best shooting guards in the league (Booker), your minutes are going to be short. Trying to play really well in those minutes without messing up (isn’t easy).”
The best professionals don’t count their minutes, though. They make their minutes count. Under Thibodeau, the Knicks are a squad that rely heavily on their starters, so Shamet’s minutes are often as unpredictable as his career has been so far. But he’s turned heads with his defense when given the opportunity. The 3-point shooting will come around. His history speaks for itself.
As Shamet has pushed further away from the shoulder injury, his minutes in New York have gone up. He’s logged more than 20 minutes the last two games and 14-plus minutes over the last four. Thibodeau is making him part of his everyday thinking — like he was before the season started.
In a new season, with a new coach and a new team, Shamet, yet again, is finding a way to see the floor. For someone with his background as a professional basketball player, that’s just another day at the office.
“Happy he’s here and getting another chance,” Bridges said of Shamet. “He could always hoop, and I’ve always been a fan of Landry.”
(Top photo of Anthony Black and Landry Shamet: Wendell Cruz / Imagn Images)
