You could feel the momentum swing the moment Landry Shamet grabbed his shoulder. The New York Knicks were already stumbling through a rough night against the Orlando Magic, but losing one of their most reliable sparks off the bench turned a bad evening into something far more concerning.
For weeks, Shamet has been the steadying presence Mike Brown has leaned on. Now the Knicks may be forced to navigate a stretch without him.
Shamet’s injury comes at the worst possible time
The hit came on a routine pick, the kind of contact Shamet has taken hundreds of times. But the way he reacted told the story. If this is another shoulder dislocation, he could miss months, not weeks, and that’s a scenario the Knicks simply aren’t built to absorb right now.
Shamet hasn’t been just good. He’s been essential. Through 14 appearances, he’s averaged 9.3 points, 2 rebounds, and shot .452 from the field and .424 from three. That’s elite efficiency for a bench guard. On a roster that has already been shorthanded — with Miles McBride dealing with personal issues and an illness — Shamet stepped in and stabilized the backcourt rotation.
Take that away, and suddenly the bench looks like a puzzle missing its most important piece.
A bench that struggled even before the injury
Saturday night painted the full picture. Jordan Clarkson filled the box score with 15 points and five assists, but his -11 plus-minus exposed the other side of his game. Josh Hart, normally the emotional heartbeat of the bench unit, finished with a -19 plus-minus and fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Those numbers weren’t flukes. They were symptoms.
The Knicks’ bench is getting scored on far too easily, and the ball movement disappears the moment Brunson sits. Shamet’s shooting helped mask those issues. Without him, the cracks are wider and harder to ignore.
The alternatives offer more questions than answers
Tyler Kolek might end up playing more by necessity, but it’s hard to argue he’s ready for that responsibility. His defense has slipped, his passing impact has dimmed, and his shot isn’t falling with the consistency that built his college profile. You can get away with that in November. You cannot get away with it in February or April.
That leaves the Knicks in a tough spot. They can try to ride it out and hope Shamet’s shoulder isn’t as bad as it looked, or they can accept the reality that reinforcements will be needed.
A trade deadline that now feels a lot more urgent
The Knicks’ front office was already working through scenarios for a potential bench upgrade. After Saturday, that conversation probably moved to the top of the agenda.
They need a guard or wing who can score, handle the ball, and defend competently. That’s not an easy archetype to find, and it’s even harder to find without touching the starting lineup. But if the Knicks want to keep pace in the East, that’s the path they’ll need to travel.
And yes, the rumor mill is going to get louder. It always does. Giannis Antetokounmpo buzz will inevitably surface again as long as Milwaukee shows cracks. But the more realistic move is a surgical one — a veteran who can stabilize the second unit and keep games from slipping away when the stars sit.
For now, everything hinges on the severity of Shamet’s shoulder. If it’s serious, the Knicks’ season might hinge on how quickly the front office can find a solution.