Landry Shamet Playing Himself Right Out of a Knicks Return in Offseason

New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet looks on during a game. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Landry Shamet's sudden drop-off in the playoffs has been one of the biggest developments for the New York Knicks in the early going of the postseason. The veteran was supposed to provide a healthy source of points and three-point shooting off the bench after bouncing back in 2025-26.

Instead, Shamet went from a sixth man to simply unplayable with his current form. He's stuck out like a sore thumb on a second unit that needs dedicated ball handling, which has resulted in Jose Alvarado rejoining the rotation, while Shamet's been demoted to the garbage time squad.

It remains to be seen if Shamet can turn things around, but the early prognosis doesn't appear good, and that will have ripple effects on the offseason

Knicks may feel urge to move on from Landry Shamet with ugly 2026 playoffs

Shamet might not last long in New York if his current performance is any indication. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

So far, Shamet has been the complete opposite of what he advertised during the regular season. His woes began in Game 1, as the wing managed just three points in 1-of-6 shooting from the field across 17 minutes.

Even though it was one dud, head coach Mike Brown had no choice but to shorten Shamet's leash with the Hawks living up to their pesky nature. However, Shamet didn't have the response needed to get back the staff's good graces, as he went scoreless. Even worse, the vet had two poor decisions that became turnovers, which only reinforced the need for a more traditional point guard presence.

Since then, Shamet's been one of the players in New York's doghouse. He's totaled just nine minutes over the last three contests, as he hasn't given the team any promising signs. He's severely lacked in both areas of "three-and-D," going 2-of-8 from deep and recording the fourth-worst defensive rating (110.1) among all Knicks in these playoffs.

Shamet's contributions during the campaign were certainly appreciated. New York needed to rely on several supporting players with a variety of absences, and Shamet helped answer the call at times. That's not even to mention he was a late addition to this roster and only required the veteran minimum to sign, giving a cash-strapped franchise serious bang for its buck.

Knicks fans know that Shamet is better than he's shown. Can he turn to his old form before it's too late? | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Shamet's rebound of a season also comes into sharper focus, as he's failing to bring the same level of success to the postseason. Though being a reliable reserve off the bench in-season is nice, rising to the high level that the playoffs demand is what the Knicks truly need from a guy in a featured reserve role on a championship-caliber squad.

Shamet's stock might not recover

The entire league is watching Shamet collapse in real-time. Front offices around the NBA are seeing New York not only relegate the wing to garbage time but also face zero negative effects from doing so.

That's going to crater Shamet's improved stock again after he was in a position to see a nice raise in the offseason. That would help his chances of returning to the Knicks, but after seeing his regression up close and losing trust in him on the big stage, bringing him back on a vet minimum likely won't even sound appealing.

It's not like New York absolutely needs Shamet, either, considering its wealth of options on the bench. Part of the appeal of acquiring Alvarado was that he could come back with a cheaper ($4.5 million) player option in 2026-27. There's also young point guard Tyler Kolek, whose role has steadily increased across his first two seasons. Rookie Mohamed Diawara could return in free agency as well.

Will the Knicks favor bringing Mohamed Diawara back over Shamet in the offseason? | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Speaking of youngsters, the Knicks have three picks (No. 24 and two second-rounders) in the 2026 draft to select someone who could easily match or surpass Shamet's output quickly. They'd be doing it on a similarly cheap deal but with years of control, and the benefit of helping them develop into something greater.

Shamet clearly had enough fans in New York to return after a quieter first campaign in the Big Apple. Yet even his biggest supporters can't ignore his current disappearing act, which will impact the Knicks no matter how this playoff run ends.