Why Landry Shamet is Knicks’ X-Factor in New York’s title defense

The champagne has dried up and the cigars have been put out. A new NBA season is upon us. The Knicks celebrated the franchise’s first championship in 53 years for months. Now, the club will take on the challenge of repeating.

To get back to the mountaintop this season, the Knicks will need the entire roster to contribute. The starters will get most of the attention, but the bench’s play will be crucial. Reserve guard Landry Shamet is a part of that bench mob and his value to the club has grown over time. He’s New York’s X-Factor for this season.

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As the Knicks’ season gets underway with a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, it will be with a team that remains mostly intact from last year. Of New York’s 10 rotation players from the championship season, only Mitchell Robinson is not on the roster. One of the reasons for New York’s success in the playoffs was how every player stepped up and contributed at key moments. Shamet didn’t miss out on the fun.

In the playoffs, Shamet’s ability to make shots from outside and defend on the perimeter at the point of attack was valuable. He recovered from a slow start in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks. The 6-foot-5 guard shot a blistering 47.5 percent from three during New York’s championship run.

He reached an untouchable hot stretch in the Eastern Conference Finals when he knocked down 11 of 12 threes in New York’s four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His game-tying three-pointer in the fourth quarter of Game 1’s comeback win was one of several memorable plays throughout New York’s journey to a championship

Three-point threat

Shamet’s emergence is remarkable. A former first-round pick, the shooting guard was close to falling out of the NBA. He had become a journeyman, playing for five different teams in his first six seasons. On training camp deals for two consecutive years with the Knicks, Shamet barely beat out Malcolm Brogdon and Garrison Mathews in 2025 to earn the final roster spot.

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Keeping Shamet paid off as he became a regular rotation player. His ability to move without the ball is his standout skill. He keeps…

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Publish date : 2026-10-20 14:20:00

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