Hidden Gems: Landry Shamet
Image courtesy of CBS Sports.
By Sam Bergstrom
Fans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) are finally becoming familiar with a player who’s been underappreciated for many years. The player I speak of is none other than New York Knicks shooting guard Landry Shamet. Shamet has always been regarded as a solid three-point weapon off the bench for a plethora of NBA teams. However, the 8-year pro out of Wichita State has recently produced shockwaves across the league for his secret scoring capability, clutch gene, and lockdown defense.
On November 14, the Knicks marched into battle against a feisty Miami Heat squad. Despite their shorthanded crew—being without Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby— New York came out fighting in a high scoring affair with Miami. Amidst the frantic back-and-forth duel, it was Landry Shamet’s dazzling display that proved to be the story of this dramatic Monday night showcase.
Known for his pure shooting form and deadeye three-point accuracy, Shamet drained multiple threes on Miami with ease. Notably, he seemed to thrive as a corner specialist, knocking down 5 corner threes during the game. Beyond his elite shooting, he also slashed his way to the cup with cat-like quickness, even throwing down an unexpected dunk on Miami’s Kel’el Ware. The most hyped moment of this game came in the fourth quarter, when Shamet hit Andrew Wiggins with a mean crossover in transition and finished a running layup to put New York up by 14. After this exciting rack attack, a fervent Shamet signaled for the Madison Square Garden to get loud. “Come oooooonnnn!!!! Let’s go!” he exclaimed to the Knicks faithful.
In 37 minutes off the bench, Shamet imploded for a career-high 36 points while shooting 12/19 from the field and 6/12 from three-point land—30 of these points came in the second half. He was ceremoniously serenaded by Knicks fans with chants of “Landry Shamet!” at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. This inspiring performance yielded a pivotal 140-132 victory for New York.
The revelation of Landry Shamet did not end after his career night. On November 21, Shamet showed out yet again, this time against the Dallas Mavericks. Although he only scored 9 points in this game, 6 of them proved to be critical in crunch time. Following a Knicks steal and breakaway, Shamet connected on a wide open corner three to put New York up 109-108 with just over one minute remaining in the game. Dallas responded with a free throw to make it 109-109, so it was once again Shamet’s time to shine. After Josh Hart corralled an offensive rebound off his own missed layup, he hit Shamet wide open once more, this time on the left wing. He rattled in the clutch trey with 31.4 seconds, and it propelled New York to squeeze by with a 113-111 victory—their first road win of the season.
Shamet’s clutch pair of threes were not the only key factor to New York’s gritty win. During the final play of the game, Shamet drew a key offensive foul on Dallas’ Brandon Williams. Williams had his game-tying basket with 0.7 seconds left waved off after wrapping his arm around Shamet in transition. Shamet was hence named the defensive player of the game (DPOG), and was crowned with a hard-hat while repping a bright orange construction vest and Timberland boot in the Knicks locker room. This has been part of New York’s fun new post-game tradition, where they award a DPOG after every victory to the player who locks down their opponents the hardest.
Shamet’s story these past couple of years has been nothing short of inspiring. After signing with the Knicks during the 2024 off-season, he suffered a dislocated shoulder during pre-season. He was then waived by New York, and drafted by their G-League team, the Westchester Knicks. After playing in the G-League, he eventually made it back onto the Knicks roster, but played a career-low 15 minutes per game in 2024-25. In the 2025 off-season, he fought his way onto the final spot of the Knicks roster after a competitive training camp, and now he is bearing the fruits of his hard work.
As a long-time Knicks fan, I have always been a fan of Shamet’s game. Last year, I had the privilege of attending a Knicks vs. 76ers matchup at the end of the season. In this game, Shamet poured in 20 points, and he showed his potential as a valuable bench scorer. It was a real joy to see him get some action in person, considering he only played 15 minutes per game last year. As an NBA fan in general, I will never forget the dagger three-pointer that a rookie Shamet hit in Game 2 of the 2019 first round playoffs. His clutch bucket capped off a 31-point deficit and the largest comeback win in NBA playoff history, helping the Los Angeles Clippers upset the star-studded Golden State Warriors.
I was more than elated to witness Shamet torch both the Heat and Mavericks during both of these awesome Knick wins. I can’t help but think that New York has uncovered a hidden gem they have been preserving for two years. With first-year head coach Mike Brown clearly valuing the bench’s minutes this year, hopefully Shamet can continue to sparkle under the bright lights of New York as the Knicks try to contend for a championship.
