Landry Shamet has been counting Tuesdays. This one marks 10.
It’s been 10 weeks to the day since Shamet suffered what he referred to as probably the most important damage of his six-year NBA profession — a profession already marked by its share of setbacks. This time, the blow got here earlier than the season even began.
The Knicks signed Shamet to a non-guaranteed coaching camp deal, which he completely outplayed to safe a spot on a Knicks roster with championship aspirations. However simply 4 video games into the preseason, Shamet dislocated his proper (and capturing) shoulder, leaving the Knicks with no alternative however to waive him till he received wholesome.
Now wholesome, Shamet is again.
The Knicks re-signed the veteran sharpshooter after he accomplished his rehab stint with their G-League affiliate in Westchester. On Monday night time, he made his long-awaited regular-season debut, checking in in the course of the ultimate moments of a blowout win in opposition to the Toronto Raptors.
Eighty-four seconds of recreation time and one shot had been all Shamet wanted to really feel entire once more.
“I was so ramped up today, man. I’ve been chomping at the bit for a while,” he mentioned after the sport. “It just felt good to be back in the building, be suited up, be with the guys, lock in on the game plan, and be a teammate. I’m just grateful. That felt good to get in the game there at the end and see the first one go.”
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Shoulder accidents are uncommon in basketball — ankles, knees, and hamstrings are likely to bear the brunt of the sport. However Shamet’s October damage was as freakish because it will get.
In an Oct. 15 preseason recreation in opposition to the Charlotte Hornets, Shamet swiped on the ball as Moussa Diabate stepped-through the lane for a transition end. Whereas Shamet efficiently knocked the ball free, the trouble left him crumpled on the ground, clutching his proper shoulder in agony. Treasured Achiuwa draped a towel over the visibly dislocated joint as Shamet walked off the courtroom.
“It felt like I got shot. It was very weird,” Shamet recalled on Monday. “The shoulder was different. It was the first time I’ve had something like that. It was the most drastic [injury] I’ve had. So yeah, it was an interesting experience.”
Surgical procedure was an possibility, however Shamet was lucky: the severity of the damage didn’t require it.
“Everyone’s different,” he defined. “That same shoulder injury could happen to five other guys, and it could look differently on imaging. With ours, you just kinda gotta pick one or the other and commit to that. You can’t go the rehab route thinking, ‘What if I need surgery?’ So we chose rehab like that was our only option, and here we are.”
Accidents have been a recurring theme in Shamet’s profession, however so has resilience. He’s a profession 38.4% three-point shooter who has fought by means of adversity again and again. This newest setback examined his psychological fortitude like by no means earlier than.
“I’m a big believer that circumstances happen for a reason,” Shamet mentioned candidly. “You might not understand why in the moment, but there’s a silver lining to every situation. It really tried me on that belief, and this was good practice on that front. Rehabs are always a roller coaster — good days, bad days — but all things considered, we’re nine weeks removed from that happening, and I feel really good and really grateful to be back with this group.”
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The salary-cap gymnastics had been noteworthy. One other Knicks entrance workplace collective bargaining settlement masterclass on show at Madison Sq. Backyard.
The Knicks initially signed Shamet to an Exhibit-9 deal — a non-guaranteed coaching camp contract providing minimal damage safety for the participant. He lit it up within the preseason, rapidly proving himself as a seamless match on a Knicks roster with championship aspirations.
After which, catastrophe struck.
One awkward swipe on the ball in a preseason recreation left Shamet clutching his limp shoulder in agony, his path to securing a roster spot seemingly derailed. He walked straight to the locker room, his capturing arm immobilized, and the uncertainty surrounding his restoration hung heavy over the staff.
The damage was eerily paying homage to Julius Randle’s shoulder dislocation eight months earlier. The Knicks had hoped Randle may get well with out surgical procedure, however problems compelled him to the working room.
The group couldn’t afford to take an analogous gamble with Shamet — not with their cap flexibility already constrained by the second apron arduous cap. They wanted certainty, and Shamet’s early timeline didn’t present it.
But letting him go outright was equally dangerous. Shamet had proven within the preseason that he could possibly be one of many league’s finest bargains on a minimal deal. Dropping him to a different staff was a chance the Knicks weren’t keen to entertain.
So, they made the powerful determination to waive him, with a plan already in place to carry him again. They used their G-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, to watch his rehab progress, deciding on him No. 2 general within the G-League Draft to maintain him inside their system.
“It’s definitely different, but I’ll just say it’s the NBA. It’s a business at the end of the day,” Cameron Payne mentioned of Shamet’s unconventional route again to the roster. “I’m glad he stayed locked in, because he got signed back and he was ready.”
The alignment between Shamet and the Knicks was vital. Each side understood the precedence: getting Shamet’s shoulder proper first.
“We were clear on just wanting to get me healthy. That was the whole thing,” Shamet mentioned. “I’m grateful to them for extending that sentiment. I could have been completely on my own, but they were ready to help me in every way they could, whatever they could to help get me healthy. So I’m grateful on that front. That builds trust, too. Grateful for the situation. Grateful how it’s played out. Excited to build forward.”
Shamet stayed the course. He cleared every benchmark, finally taking contact in practices. His capturing contact, he mentioned, got here again extra rapidly than anticipated regardless of the damage to his capturing shoulder.
Then got here the outcomes: a string of standout performances within the G-League Winter Showcase, together with a 12-point outing that showcased his type and readiness.
The Knicks had seen sufficient. On Sunday, they waived Matt Ryan — who hadn’t cracked the common rotation — to clear area and convey Shamet again onto the roster.
“Man, that’s a big-time blessing. I’m super proud of him,” Payne mentioned. “I’m glad he stayed locked in on getting better with his shoulder. But I mean, I feel like he stamped himself on this team in the preseason. So I’m super stoked for him.”
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Shamet checked into Monday’s recreation with 1:24 left within the fourth quarter and the Knicks up 17 on the Raptors. Twenty seconds later, he calmly sank a 13-foot jumper off a Tyler Kolek feed — his first regular-season subject purpose as a Knick.
“Glad he got a bucket today. Glad he seen it go through. That’s really a huge step just being in the league,” Payne mentioned. “Being hurt, coming back, I know he probably felt like, ‘I wasn’t in, I’m not even on the team,’ and he stayed down, stayed locked in, and that just shows his character. It’s super dope to see him back out there.”
Head coach Tom Thibodeau has usually praised Shamet’s playoff pedigree, citing his expertise on three completely different contenders over a six-year profession. Now with the Knicks — a fourth playoff-bound staff in his seventh season — Shamet’s worth is obvious.
“Good solid veteran leadership, can play multiple positions,” Thibodeau mentioned. “We thought he had a great training camp. Unfortunately, he got hurt in that last game.”
Thibodeau additionally highlighted Shamet’s match as a part of a three-guard second unit alongside Payne and Miles McBride, in addition to his chemistry with each Payne and Mikal Bridges from their shared time on the 2020 Phoenix Suns.
“He’s been around, he’s played in big games. He knows how to play off people extremely well,” Thibodeau mentioned. “The three-point shooting, he can handle the ball, play off the ball. The versatility with Cam and Deuce — it all fits. I think that Cam and Mikal, along with Landry, were part of a Phoenix team that went deep in the playoffs. So I think that’s a plus as well.”
For Shamet, the journey again has blurred the timelines. The milestones of rehab — when the jumper got here again, when he took his first contact drill — have all grow to be a part of a singular focus: placing the damage behind him and embracing the sport he loves.
“I’ve been counting Tuesdays for the last nine weeks, 10 weeks,” Shamet mentioned. “All in all, I’m happy I’m here, happy the timeline played out how it has, and we’ll keep moving forward.”
