Landry Shamet was never supposed to become a headline this fall. When he signed an Exhibit 9 deal on Sept. 14, 2024, he was just another player chasing one of the Knicks’ last roster spots.
Fast forward 25 months, and he’s not only still around - he’s part of a championship rotation. That alone makes his preseason worth a closer look.
And this isn’t just about a nice story. Shamet entered the preseason with real questions hanging over him.
Could he stay healthy after the injuries that limited his two seasons in New York? Were the defensive gains he showed last year actually real?
And was the shooting going to hold up, considering he’s topped 38% from the field only four times in his career?
Early on, he’s answered all of that with authority. In 27 combined minutes, Shamet has put up 23 points while shooting 8-15 from the field and 5-9 from three.
That kind of start is hard to ignore, especially for someone who was fighting for his job in each of the last two preseasons. Ian Begley of SNY recently pointed out just how striking that turnaround is, and it’s easy to see why.
Shamet’s surge matters because it could ripple beyond his own box score. A starting five with him instead of Josh Hart has been a popular thought experiment, but it probably isn’t happening. The Shamet-Jalen Brunson-Mikal Bridges-OG Anunoby-Karl-Anthony Towns group posted a -3.7 net rating in 114 minutes last season, and Brown has shown more willingness to sit Hart than Tom Thibodeau ever did, while still clearly valuing him.
The more interesting question is what Shamet’s rise means for New York’s sixth-man spot - and for Miles McBride. The Knicks don’t have to crown one official sixth man, but the best teams usually have that one reserve who plays like a starter and closes games.
Right now, New York has been getting that kind of production from McBride and Shamet together. McBride’s shot has been off through two preseason games, though he has been a reliable outside shooter for a couple of years and should settle in. He also comes off a Finals series where he looked overmatched offensively, something that can’t be separated from the sports hernia injury he said still bothered him against the Spurs.
If McBride keeps scuffling, Shamet could start to separate himself as the more prominent option. That wouldn’t knock McBride out of the rotation, and it likely wouldn’t cost him many minutes.
But if both players keep trending the way they have, there’s a real case for Shamet to play more than the 23.0 minutes per game he logged last season. McBride remains the better defender, but Shamet competes on that end and brings a slight size edge.
There’s also the trade angle. McBride has long been viewed as too valuable to move, and losing a defender of that caliber - one who has shot the three well over the last couple seasons - would be a painful outcome if the Knicks’ goal is another championship. Still, if New York ever decides it has to get something back before he could walk for nothing, Shamet continuing to build on this preseason would at least make that decision easier to stomach.
Two preseason games won’t settle anything. McBride’s shot should come back, and Shamet’s hot hand will cool off eventually. But for a player whose career has been defined by uncertainty, and for a team trying to become the first repeat champion since 2018, Shamet’s start is more than just a preseason footnote.
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What makes this discussion more workable now is the draft capital New York has collected, which could help grease the wheels if the Knicks decide Dadiet is a piece worth moving on from. The league always has a few teams willing to talk when the right mechanism is in play, and the Knicks appear to have enough resources to explore those paths without forcing a larger deal, even if the final decision still feels very much like something that will take more digging. [Read more 🡒]
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Knicks Starters Are Showing Early Signs Fans Were Hoping For
The first few preseason looks have offered the kind of early reassurance Knicks fans were hoping to see, with the starting group already showing the outlines of a much more dangerous offense. OG Anunoby has looked more comfortable finding ways to draw fouls, and Mikal Bridges has carried over the physical, downhill style he flashed in the postseason, using his strength on drives to make defenders work from the opening games.
New York also appears intent on keeping its attack varied and harder to scout, with the ball not always sticking in one place for long. Brunsons rhythm has looked sharp as he works his way back from offseason wrist surgery, and the staff continues to put Towns in spots where he can help initiate things from the high post, a wrinkle that gives the Knicks another layer to explore as the preseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]