The New York Knicks are 12-2 in the NBA Playoffs, and every involved member of the organization deserves their share of credit. The contributions they've gotten from Landry Shamet throughout this postseason, though, might be the best example of just how well their front office's mad-genius style of operation has served them.
After signing Shamet to a veteran's minimum contract, the veteran sharpshooter suffered a shoulder injury. Instead of losing him from the organization entirely, the Knicks traded for the first two picks in the 2024 G-League Draft. They used one on Shamet, so that he could rehabilitate as a member of the team, and got him back in the time for the playoffs.
This season, new head coach Mike Brown has been unafraid to feature Shamet heavily in his rotation. It's paying off. And Thursday's report from ESPN's Tim Bontemps, that New York plans to bring the 29-year-old's tenure full-circle by extending him this offseason, shows exactly how they went from lottery mainstay to championship contender in less than half of a decade.
Knicks' hot streak extends off-court with latest Shamet, Robinson news
Bontemps wrote, acknowledging that Robinson and Shamet are the two most important pending free agents on the Knicks' roster, that "the belief" is that both will return.
Shamet's pair of clutch 3-pointers in overtime of Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers sealed the deal on the Knicks' historic comeback that night. Those shots alone may have earned him his next deal. But Knick fans that watched the regular season closely know that the sharpshooter played a large role all year.
When Brown decided to bench Mikal Bridges in late-game scenarios, he did so in favor of Shamet. What the Knicks surrendered to acquire Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets didn't matter to the coach. His only focus was on winning. And he felt, each of those times, that Shamet would give his group a better chance.
Bridges has contributed at a star level on both ends of the court throughout the playoffs. That should have already converted fans' vitriol toward his inconsistent regular season play to frustration, at worst. But Shamet returning to help him, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart from the bench is objectively a good thing for New York.
Leon Rose, William Wesley are a step (or two) ahead of free agency
Dominating on the margins, making sure that no stone is left unturned, has been key to the Knicks' modus operandi. Ever since Leon Rose and William Wesley were tasked with transforming the organization into a sustainable championship contender, they've squeezed value from places fans didn't know were possible.
Signing someone like Shamet to two consecutive veteran's minimums, and getting real playoff contributions from him in two consecutive seasons, would be a great example of that on its own. But the G-League manuevers and apparently-already-existent plans to extend him this summer are the cherries on top.
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