With the February 5 trade deadline rapidly approaching, the New York Knicks are rumored to be in the market for a few talent upgrades. On Thursday night, they managed to execute their biggest in-season addition yet without making one single move.
Landry Shamet made his long-awaited return to the lineup in a road tilt against the Golden State Warriors following a 25-game, injury-induced absence.
Though the immediate results of his reinstatement won't necessarily blow anyone away, as he wrapped with six points, one steal, and two made triples in 16 minutes of playduring New York's 126-113 loss, the timing of his return to action couldn't have come at a better time.
Landry Shamet returns ahead of key second-half stretch for Knicks
With Jalen Brunson now sidelined with yet another ankle injury, the Knicks (25-16) could certainly use all the help they can get as they look to chase the Detroit Pistons (29-10) to claim the top seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
Now, Shamet is by no means a one-for-one replacement of New York's captain, but his talents will certainly come in handy throughout his absence and, of course, once he makes his way back into the lineup.
Prior to going down with his shoulder injury back in mid-November, the veteran swingman found himself playing some of the best basketball of his career, particularly over a nine-game, fully-healthy stretch between November 2-19, where, with key guys like OG Anunoby and Brunson missing time, he dropped averages of 11.9 points, 2.2 boards, and 1.4 assists on 46.5 percent shooting from deep.
The Knicks, even with their health issues, still went 7-2 during this span, ranking first in the league in offensive rating (122.7) along the way.
Outside of being a highly reliable marksman from deep on the offensive end, Shamet is also a well-respected defender, particularly out on the perimeter. Coach Mike Brown has even referred to him as one of "our best on-ball defenders."
Considering they fell from residing inside the top-12 in defensive rating (112.9) during the first 15 games with him to the eighth-worst (117.0) in the 25 played without him, it seems quite clear that the 28-year-old being available has only had a positive impact on both ends of the floor for this Knicks squad.
Over the past few months, it appears there's been a growing belief among fans and pundits that New York could use for added wing depth, and that scouring the trade market could be an ideal way to address this area of the rotation.
With Shamet's return, the hope should now be that he can quiet down this kind of narrative and, in turn, allow Leon Rose and company to look into bolstering other areas of the depth chart that are in even more need of extra firepower, particularly their center position.