Now that he’s back with the Knicks, Landry Shamet talked to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post about the injury that nearly cost him his latest NBA opportunity. Shamet was on his way to earning a roster spot in October when he dislocated his shoulder four days before the final cuts had to be made. Because his contract wasn’t guaranteed, the team let him go to give him time to heal, then re-signed him last week.
“There’s stretches in the first week where it’s just really acute and I can’t even lift my arm to wash under my arms or brush my teeth,” Shamet said. “There’s periods of time where you’re like, ‘God,’ And that’s what I talk about with the mental piece. Not only are you dealing with injury, rehabbing something you’ve never dealt with before, but now you’re away from your teams, kind of out of rhythm. So that part could be challenging. And there were days for sure where it was pretty bleak. Like, ‘Groundhog Day.’ Like, ‘Ahh, we’re still here. It still hurts.’ But then you had days where there were big jumps and you’re like, ‘OK.’ So both feelings were prevalent.”
Shamet could have opted for surgery, but after consulting with doctors he chose to let the shoulder heal naturally so he could resume playing more quickly. Bondy notes that the non-surgical path was a risky option, and it didn’t work for Julius Randle when he suffered a similar injury last season.
Shamet has seen his playing time gradually increase in his three games since returning, and he appears headed for a place in the rotation after posting seven points and two steals in 10 minutes Friday night. Shamet provides another veteran at the wing who can help reduce the burden on the starting lineup.
There’s more from New York:
- Karl-Anthony Towns has been a tremendous addition for the Knicks, but he hasn’t been able to shake the foul problems that often plagued him in Minnesota, Bondy notes in a separate story. Coach Tom Thibodeau wants Towns to be more focused about avoiding unnecessary fouls that can force him to come out of games. “There’s good aggressive fouls and there’s fouls that are obviously cheap that you have to clean up,” Thibodeau said. “I think that’s the important thing for him to understand — the difference between the two and how it’s being called.”
- Jalen Brunson heard some “MVP” chants Saturday night at Washington as he scored 55 points in an overtime victory, per Steve Popper of Newsday. It was Brunson’s third 50-point game since joining the Knicks, which ties him for second in franchise history. “We needed it,” Josh Hart said. “This one was a tough one for us. Back-to-back. I felt a little old today. So a lot of us felt the same way. We were a little slow. But he made big shots. That’s why he’s the captain. Find a way to win.”
- It looks like Mitchell Robinson will be sidelined until at least late January, so it could be hard to trade him by the February 6 deadline, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Edwards expects the Knicks to look for another center on the trade market, and he suggests that Isaiah Stewart would fit well with the current roster if the Pistons would accept Robinson and Precious Achiuwa in return.
Isaiah Stewart is 6-8. The Knicks already have a smaller center option on the roster in Precious Achiuwa. If Robinson can’t come back healthy and they need to find a back up center, its got be someone with legitimate center size.
Right, if you’re gonna do that you may as well just keep Achiuwa. I like what Precious brings to the table anyway. He’s played well since he came back.
I love Jalen Brunson, he usually lets everybody eat and does his thing but when they need him to take over, he immediately does that
Stewart is just a big guy with a bad contract dished out by a feeble and since fired GM. He’s not someone that a team is going to pursue with assets. Fit with the NYK current roster? He didn’t even fit with last year’s DET roster, as he lost most of his minutes on that team, one of the worst in NBA history. No wonder. He’s too slow footed to defend PFs (and has indicated that he doesn’t want to be embarrassed any longer trying). As a C, he’s undersized and devoid of any ability rim protect. He can’t even shoot 3’s well enough for it to be a real game option. Achiuwa is a more valauble player than Stewart.
I really wish the media would scrap this idiotic notion that the NYK should look to trade Mitch as an injured player. I know they want to use the Trade Machine, and Mitch has a contract of at least some size, but how much idiocy can that carry? Teams don’t trade injured players for basketball reasons.
Edwards is a joke. The player they need to trade for is already on the team – Robinson. They just need him to be healthy.
As for Towns, no offensive fouls. Those are what hurts him the most.
Cheap fouls are just like the over the back of the head flip pass straight into the opponents hands…
Something that is engrained in KATs game at this point…
Jalen with 55 on Wizards. And Knicks needed every pt. I get its back to back game. But it’s not a good sign to me. Knicks need bench scoring. A guy you know is getting 10 or more easy. Bench scoring is an issue. I believe this is where Knicks will try and trade for. Knicks should be monitoring Bogdanovic. Nets might just buy him out.
Knick starters playing too many mins. Knicks have had to deal with injuries. With the trade deadline near. Have to get that bench right…..
Knicks D has already improved. Precious coming back did that. Mitch is their best trade asset to improve. He’s due back before TD.
You want a stat about Brunson 55 …..
“ Brunson was a machine and did it unconventionally by today’s NBA standards, needing just three 3-pointers to reach his double-nickel.
He dropped 28 points in the paint, scored 42 overall after halftime, knocked down 16 free throws and collected nine assists, and the Knicks (22-10) needed all of it.
It just happened,” Brunson said. “That’s the way the game was flowing. I looked up at the scoreboard, and it says 50-something.”
That’s basketball at its best. You play to win. Not for glory. Winning takes care of Everything.
Bench scoring lols.