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Inside The Wizards

Reflecting Back on the Subtle Silver Linings of the Wizards' Lost Landry Shamet Era

The Washington Wizards and their one-time guard have each come a long way since their forgotten partnership.
Henry Brown|
Jan 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Landry Shamet (20) shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jan 8, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Landry Shamet (20) shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards fans have grown to expect graduates from their team on bigger stages than the ones that the long-underachieving franchise can provide, but the growing trend of previous contributors going on to flourish elsewhere says more about randomness and luck than it does about the state of the organization.

Some former contributor has gone on to appear in the NBA Finals over the past 17 championship series, and this week's Eastern Conference Finals finish confirmed that the pattern would extend through another year. Landry Shamet will represent the east alongside the New York Knicks, even though casual viewers will have to dig deep to remember the shooter's one-and-done stint as a Wizard.

Originally a throw-in to the Phoenix Suns' infamous Bradley Beal trade, Shamet's time in D.C. has already gone down as a season to forget. The longtime reserve sniper was of little to use in a noncompetitive situation for the first time in his well-traveled career, missing the playoffs in lieu of watching a 15-win season unfold after no exchange deal came together at the midseason trade deadline.

He's gone on to enjoy greener pastures since re-proving himself to the league, participating in the Knicks' previous run to the Eastern Conference Finals before elevating into a key bench role this season. But just as his numbers betray a Wizards tenure that went statistically better than remembered, the franchise, too, has similarly positioned itself well for success in the years since.

Shamet's Stealth Fit

He's always been a player who's generally lived and died by his outside shot, and while these past conference finals bore witness to the heat check of his career in a noncompetitive sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the poor spacing that came attached to the early goings of Washington's rebuild did Shamet no favors.

33.8% from distance over 46 appearances rang in as an all-time low for Shamet, with even his streakiest previous seasons having nothing on this drop in accuracy. He was tasked with more responsibility than he was used to as one of the few competent veterans on that iteration of the Wizards, and succumbed under the weight of the institutional revamp.

But as these two Knicks campaigns have proven, he may have gained something from learning to put the ball on the floor at a higher clip.

The 44.8% within-the-arc finisher suddenly jumped to 55.6% with greater composure from two-point range, and he's hovered at or above that range since rebooting his reputation and moving to New York. Now that he's capable of attacking a clumsy closeout with enhanced driving and finishing ability, he's that much more dangerous 25 feet from the basket, a tough lesson the Cavaliers will have to live with.

New York Knicks Guards Jalen Brunson and Landry Shamet
May 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guards Jalen Brunson (11) and Landry Shamet (44) celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime in game one of the eastern conference finals during the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

He wasn't exactly a crowd favorite in Washington, especially as a known quantity taking minutes from up-and-comers, but a quick scan at that roster compared to the Wizards of present reveals just one maintained constant. Bilal Coulibaly, the founding father of the rebuild, is all who remains between young corps, and they've rebounded well despite "losing" Shamet.

He, along with the slew of talents whom Washington's front office has scooped up with all of the poor regular season finishes they've gathered since, look nothing like the squad that Shamet once contributed to. The Deni Avdijas and Corey Kisperts have been replaced by a fresh round of prospects in Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and whoever the organization claims at No. 1 in next month's draft, and someone like Shamet wouldn't be needed as a prized veteran anymore with Trae Young and Anthony Davis on board.

In fact, he'd be worth considering as a free agent add-on when he's ready to prioritize up-front money on another ascending unit, as the Wizards' future shares a similar optimistic flavor to the Knicks after years of positive momentum. Sure, they're not a week out from playing for the right for the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but their process has benefitted from the Shamet year almost as well as the shooter has in setting up long-term success.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette and The Lead. A Bowie, MD native, he earned his Journalism degree at the University of Maryland.

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