A sneaky low risk/high reward pick-up for the Knicks
With Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mikal Bridges on the roster, everyone had assumed that former New York Knicks fan-favorite Ryan Arcidiacono was going to return to complete the Nova Knicks. Those hopes were put to rest on the early morning of September 14 as Adrian Wojnarowski first reported that the Knicks have signed veteran wing Landry Shamet to fill their 15th and final guaranteed roster spot.
Free agent G Landry Shamet has agreed on a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, his agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group tells ESPN. Shamet has career averages of 8.7 points and 38 percent on three-pointers. pic.twitter.com/uS6cxqg68X
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 14, 2024
Shamet came into the league as a shooter and carved out a solid bench role with contenders like the Sixers, Clippers, Nets, and Suns in his first five seasons. During that span, the shooting guard averaged 8.9 PPG and shot 39% from three on 5.2 3PA per game.
Last season was a different story for Shamet. After averaging 22.9 MPG prior to 2023, he averaged just 15.8 MPG and appeared in just 46 games. And even when he did stay on the court, his play suffered as he shot a career-low 33.8% from three.
Those numbers are admittedly a bit worrying. But as an end-of-the-bench, insurance depth piece on a very deep team, he shouldn’t be relied on too heavily, if ever. And seeing as he is still just 27 years old but has tons of experience as a contributor on contending teams, the move makes a lot of sense, both for the Knicks as a microwave shooter and a potential trade piece moving forward.