Knicks Coach Fired Up By Depth Star's Return

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown would love to see more from No. 44.

So packed to the brim are the Knicks that the battle for their final standard roster spots stands as an intriguing preseason subplot. That transactional war features Landry Shamet, a holdover from last season's second unit engaged in a potential battle with previous Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and more.

"Offensively, his pace in the full-court, he does a great job of spreading the floor," Brown noted of Shamet before in the Knicks jetted off to Abu Dhabi for an exhibition pair with the Philadelphia 76ers (h/t New York Basketball on X). "He'll sprint to the corner ever single possessions. When you do that with an ability that he has to shoot the ball from deep, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense and also flattens the defense."

Mike Brown on Landry Shamet: "His pace in full court…always sprints to corner…with shooting ability puts alot of pressure on D…also flattens D…driving lanes [expand]…Half court…can create offense for teammates just with his gravity…Defensively unafraid…will guard whoever" pic.twitter.com/aVGYyNUpUg
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 29, 2025

Shamet was a late signing to the Knicks' offseason affairs, his return partly overshadowed by a revamping of a second unit that finished dead-last in bench scoring last year. Brogdon and Jordan Clarkson each bring reserve hardware with them to Manhattan, as they step in for departed depth stars like Precious Achiuwa and Cameron Payne.

Though his metropolitan debut was delayed by a preseason shoulder injury, the Knicks were eager to keep Shamet in the system after they were impressed with his progress as an opponent. Having signed after a strong performance in the 76ers' postseason tilt with the Knicks in 2024's opening round, Shamet became one of the top picks of the ensuing G League Draft to stick around in the Empire State.

Shamet then left a strong impression on his Knicks teammates and ended the year averaging 5.7 points in just over 15 minutes a game. Shamet came up especially big over the final stretch, averaging 11.6 tallies over the last dozen, which included a success rate of over 47 percent from three-point range.

"His place in the full-court is fantastic, his pace in the half-court, he's got a great cadance," Brown lauded. "He knows when to go slow and then when to explode without the ball, it is fantastic. When he comes out of handoffs or pindowns, he can create offense for his teammates, just with his movement or his gravity."

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