SAN FRANCISCO — Landry Shamet “worked his tail off.” Now he’s again within the rotation following a nasty shoulder damage that derailed a breakout second season in New York.
The Knicks misplaced Shamet to a big proper shoulder sprain on a brutal mid-court display set by Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. within the first quarter of a Nov. 22 highway loss to the Magic. However he practiced with the Knicks at Sacramento State College’s Hornet Athletic Middle on Tuesday and sat out the primary leg of New York’s highway back-to-back — a disappointing loss to the Kings.
The Knicks then bumped their reserve sharpshooter as much as accessible to play towards the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
“Landry, he’s a worker, man,” head coach Mike Brown stated forward of tipoff on Thursday. “I wasn’t there then whole time watching him [rehab] or getting reports on him, but when I did see him, he was getting after it. It means a lot for him to play.”
Shamet’s return couldn’t have come at a greater time: The Knicks had been reeling coming into the Warriors recreation as losers of six of their final eight video games. Compounding issues, Jalen Brunson missed the Warriors matchup after sustaining a proper ankle sprain 5 minutes into the primary quarter in Sacramento.
The Knicks can’t exchange all the pieces their All-Star level guard brings to the lineup, however getting their reserve sharpshooter and three-and-D wing again softens the blow.
He performed 15 video games, and began in six, by way of the primary portion of the Knicks’ season and averaged 9.3 factors on 45% capturing from the sector and 42.4% capturing from deep to begin the yr. These numbers marked his highest-scoring season since 2021 with the Brooklyn Nets, and the second-best three-point capturing season of his profession since 2019.
Brown stated the Knicks are going to be “patient” as Shamet, 28, returns to type. He injured the identical proper, capturing shoulder that he dislocated in the course of the preseason final yr and stepped again onto the courtroom on Thursday for the primary time in practically two months.
“He was in a great rhythm before he got hurt, and he’s been out for a while, so it’s gonna take some time for him to get back and it’s exciting for him to be back,” he stated. “We’re gonna be patient with him while he’s fighting his way back to where he was before the injury.”
A-PLUS
Brown stated rookie Mohamed Diawara has handed quite a lot of checks as a rookie second-round decide who’s been thrust into the hearth on a veteran group with championship expectations.
“Any opportunity you get, you throw him out there, and sometimes you might throw him out there for 15 minutes and sometimes you might throw him out there for two minutes, and you just kinda watch and see how he responds to it. And there may be stretches where he doesn’t see the floor at all, and you see how present he stays with it, and then the times that you do throw him out there, does he get shook or is he rattled?” the Knicks’ coach stated pregame on Thursday. “Mo, for a younger man particularly a second-round decide that in all probability wasn’t anticipating to play in any respect this yr, he handed quite a lot of checks. He’s gonna proceed to be thrown into the hearth now and again.
“But he’s young, he’s growing, he’s learning, there’s no need to rush him, so he’s gotta stay patient while growing with every experience that he gets when he gets on the floor.”
The Knicks chosen Diawara with the 51st decide within the 2025 NBA Draft. He has shot 12-of-30 (40%) from downtown and is averaging 12.8 factors, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per 36 minutes this season.
DRAYMOND COACHING?
Warriors star Draymond Inexperienced expressed an curiosity in teaching when his taking part in profession is over. Brown believed Inexperienced can serve in any capability for a basketball group.
“One thing: He’s extremely intelligent. His feel for the game is second to none. I’ve been around a lot of players and he’s gotta be up there Top-3 in terms of basketball IQ because he’s been doing it at a high level, has got a great feel, and has had success at it,” stated Brown. “He’s won. It wouldn’t surprise me if he transitioned into coaching, front office, whatever, because I think he’d be able to impact the game in a positive way.”
