9 Things Landry Shamet Does to Make Him Key Reserve — Thibs

The Knicks invited Landry Shamet to their training camp before the 2024-25 season, and he played well but injured his shoulder in the pre-season. He finally joined the team in December, 2024 and the Knicks officially signed him to a 1-year contract.

The 6’4, 27-year-old veteran guard looks like the late actor Isaak Kappy, and plays an energetic game. The Knicks are his 7th NBA team, after he was drafted in the 1st round, 26th overall, by Philadelphia in the 2018 draft. He’s since played with the LA Clippers, Phoenix, the Brooklyn Nets, and Washington — typically getting 20 to 27 minutes a night and averaging around 10 pts. He is a lifetime .382 shooter from 3.

When asked about Shamet’s energetic play, Knick coach Tom Thibodeau had this to say about him, after NY beat Toronto 112-98 on January 9, 2025:

“He’s getting his legs under him. That’s what we liked about him. In the pre-season as well.

1. You can execute with him;
2. he makes the extra pass;
3. he reads the floor well;
4. he hustles on defense;
5. he blocks out;
6. he blocks cutters;
7. he applies ball pressure;
8. he challenges shots;
9. he moves without the ball.

There are a lot of things that he does that aren’t necessarily reflected in statistics but he help the team function well.”

Another reason why NY asked Shamet onto the team is his familiarity playing with Cameron Payne; the two high-energy players immediately gave NY a boost on the second team after losing Dante DiVincenzo in the off season due to the Karl-Anthony Towns/Julius Randle trade.