New York Knicks fans were on the Landry Shamet preseason hype train. Tom Thibodeau raved about the veteran guard at training camp. All signs pointed toward Shamet getting one of the Knicks' open roster spots after he signed a non-guaranteed deal over the summer.
It seemed as if Shamet would even make the cut for Thibodeau's rotation after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade that sent Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves. Shamet is a career 38.4% three-point shooter. He shot 4-for-8 from three in the Knicks' first preseason game against the Hornets, further confirming that he'd get converted to a standard contract.
Unfortunately, Shamet's second preseason outing against Charlotte didn't go as well. He hurt his shoulder in Tuesday's win and immediately went to the locker room. Thibodeau said after the game that he wasn't sure of the extent of the injury.
Shamet hinted in an Instagram post that he'd miss an extended amount of time with the injury. He thanked everyone for the well wishes and said he'd be "attacking this rehab." The Knicks didn't confirm the severity of the injury until Friday afternoon.
Landry Shamet dislocated his right shoulder and will be re-evaluated at a later date.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 18, 2024
Landry Shamet dislocated right shoulder in Knicks preseason win
Shamet is the second Knicks player to dislocate his shoulder in nine months. Julius Randle suffered the same injury in a late January game against the Heat, his final game for New York.
SNY's Ian Begley reported that there's "initial optimism" that Shamet won't need surgery. The same was said about Randle, but he eventually underwent surgery in April when it became clear that he could further injure his shoulder if he returned.
Shamet's Exhibit 9 deal will become guaranteed in January. The Knicks have 12 players signed to standard deals and need to up that to the league minimum of 14. It sounds as if New York plans to keep Shamet on the roster as he rehabs his shoulder.
Thibs when asked if the expectation is for Shamet to be on the roster when regular season starts: “he’s still gathering information about what the next steps are (in terms of dealing with injury). We feel very strongly about him.”
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) October 18, 2024
Said he’s already attacked rehab.
New York will likely convert Ariel Hukporti's two-way contract to a standard deal. There will still be an open spot for a player to sign a veteran's minimum contract. T.J. Warren and Chuma Okeke are on non-guaranteed deals. Begley reported earlier this week that Marcus Morris Sr. could return to the Knicks after he declined to re-sign a second training camp deal with New York after the Towns trade.
As unfortunate as Shamet's injury is, at least there's some optimism that he'll be able to return. Hopefully, his rehab goes well, and he won't need season-ending surgery.