Knicks' Secret Weapon Comes Straight from 2022 Warriors' Playbook

When discussing the New York Knicks' playoff dominance, most will likely point to their starting lineup, and for good reason.

Jalen Brunson has been the most clutch player in the playoffs, Karl-Anthony Towns has outplayed Victor Wembanyama in the first two games of the NBA Finals, and OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart have been consistent producers.

The bottom line is the Knicks went all-in on their star point guard when the Warriors didn't, and the recent results reflect that.

But most championship teams have a secret weapon off the bench who gives them an edge, and for the Knicks it's Landry Shamet.

How does Shamet's success relate to the 2022 Golden State Warriors' championship team?

The Warriors acquired their own secret weapon the same way the Knicks acquired Shamet.

Porter Was Warriors' Secret Weapon

Back in the 2021 offseason, there were rumors that the Warriors wanted Otto Porter Jr., but only on a veteran-minimum deal. To that point, Porter had made $124.1 million, so the idea of playing for $2.4 million surely wasn't appealing to him.

But Porter's market wasn't big because of his injury history, so he settled for the Warriors' deal, sensing that he could help the team get back to the mountaintop.

Porter's stats won't wow anyone. He averaged 8.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in the regular season before recording 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in the playoffs.

But his impact was felt because he fit well in any lineup due to his shooting efficiency (40.4 percent from three in the playoffs) and solid defense.

That sounds a lot like Shamet.

Knicks Made Great Call Re-Signing Shamet

Shamet and Porter did not have similar career trajectories. Porter was the third overall pick in 2013 and had several highly productive seasons as a starter before injuries slowed him down. Shamet was the 26th overall pick in 2018 and has mostly been a reserve.

That Shamet was re-signed by the Knicks for the minimum this past offseason wasn't a shock.

Still, after he shot 39.7 percent from three last season and tied for the team lead in Cleaning the Glass net rating, he should have had a bigger market.

Instead, Shamet had to wait until September to agree to a veteran-minimum deal with the Knicks.

Shamet has shot 56.3 percent from three in the playoffs. He had 13 points in the Knicks' 105-104 Game 2 win over the Spurs.

It's highway robbery when a veteran minimum puts up that kind of production in Finals.

Shamet's Story Is Similar to GPII's

The Warriors had incredible contributions from two veteran-minimum players during their 2022 title run. We already went over what Porter did. The other player was Gary Payton II.

Where Shamet and Payton are most similar is they both signed deep into the offseason. Payton didn't agree to terms until mid-October.

Payton came out of nowhere in a way that even Shamet can't relate to. The 2016 undrafted free agent had played just 808 minutes in his NBA career before playing 1,248 minutes over 71 games for the Warriors in 2021-22.

Payton's on-ball defense was his calling card, and he had plenty of highlights on the less glamorous end during the Warriors' title run. But he also made eight of his 15 three-point attempts and overall shot 65.9 percent from the floor. This is amazing efficiency for anyone, but especially for a veteran-minimum guard.

Warriors Need Another Veteran-Minimum Hit

To get a player like Porter, Payton or Shamet from a veteran-minimum contract, you need some luck. I'm sure the Warriors have identified other undervalued players since 2022, only to see them a) sign for more than the veteran minimum or b) sign for the veteran minimum with a different team.

Whatever the reason, the Warriors have not had a major veteran-minimum hit since the 2022 title team.

With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody out for at least half of the 2026-27 season with knee injuries, it will be as important as ever for the Warriors to get contributions from the end of their roster.

It will be interesting to see if Mike Dunleavy Jr. can find the next veteran-minimum steal.

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