Landry Shamet 'Grateful' For Knicks
Throughout the last several months, the New York Knicks have shown a tremendous amount of confidence in veteran guard Landry Shamet.
After signing him to a non-guaranteed deal just before training camp, Shamet was on pace to make the team before a shoulder injury put things into jeopardy. The Knicks cut him given his non-guaranteed status, but they went through the back avenues to try and keep him around.
Adding Shamet in the G League Draft was an action to put behind the words that the two sides had spoken about behind closed doors, and the veteran guard out of Wichita State is certainly thankful for what the Knicks have done for him.
“Playing for a lot of different teams, a lot of different teammates, seeing a lot of different situations, great players, different coaching styles, I think you just build up your memory bank and things you can draw from," Shamet said h/t Posting and Toasting.
“I’m grateful for the journey I’ve had so far and thankful to be here and try to build and grow with this group," he continued.
Shamet has become a true journeyman in the NBA, playing for six teams in his first seven seasons in the league. With that instability comes experience playing with many different types of people, and that is working to New York's benefit.
On top of that, Shamet has had his future questioned in league circles, and with that comes a certain type of grit that cannot be taught.
“You can execute with him. He makes the extra pass. He reads the floor well. He hustles on defense. He blocks out and blocks cutters, applies ball pressure, challenges a shot, moves without the ball," Thibodeau said. “There are a lot of things that he does that aren’t necessarily reflected in statistics but help a team function well.”
Shamet isn't afraid to do the dirty work for the Knicks, and players like that are needed in order to compete for a championship, which New York has every intention of doing.