The Knicks went into Friday’s NBA Cup game against the Miami Heat short-handed after Jalen Brunson (ankle) was ruled out for the game. New York was down another starter when OG Anunoby left early with a hamstring injury, putting the bulk of the offensive pressure on Karl-Anthony Towns.
But while KAT did his thing — scoring a game-high 39 points — it was the bench, especially Landry Shamet, that stepped up to help the Knicks beat Miami, 140-132.
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“It’s about the next man up. Who that next man is going to be, I don’t know,” head coach Mike Brown said after the win. “There’s no way I could have told you these guys were going to score the ball the way they did, or Josh [Hart] get a triple-double. A lot of things I couldn’t tell you. We have a standard that we all bought into and all embraced and a way we play offensively and defensively, and if we stay within that, good things will happen most times.”
New York’s bench outscored Miami, 75-39, led by Shamet’s 36 points, a new career high for the guard.
The 28-year-old guard credited Brown’s system for the team’s success on offense on Friday — and, really, all season — saying it brings out a connectivity between the players that makes scoring easier.
“It could be any one of us any night, we were just playing within our system,” Shamet said of his performance. “Sometimes shots find you, we all play aggressive and benefits everyone. It helps when KAT has a massive quarter like he does, and that makes a lot more opportunities when so much attention in the second half is on him. Just playing off one another, and it found me.”
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Shamet’s previous career-high was 31 points, which he’s done twice, but on Friday, he showed his full arsenal of offensive tools. He was incredibly efficient, shooting 12-for-19 from the field, including 6 of 12 from deep. He made all six of his free-throw attempts, grabbed two rebounds and had three assists. He cut to the basket and even posterized one of Miami’s big men to get the MSG crowd on their feet, and chanting his name.
“These fans know I love them,” Shamet said of the crowd and the chanting. “I’ll say that till I’m blue in the face, love it. Love the energy every night. Cup game on a Friday, it’s as good as it gets. It was very fun.”
Interestingly enough, Brown admitted that it was his coaching staff that pushed him to keep Shamet on the floor in the second half. When the Heat clamped down on Towns, who scored just eight points in the second half, Shamet and the others took advantage. Shamet scored 30 of his points in the final two quarters to help put the Heat away.
But Brown wasn’t surprised by Shamet’s performance on Friday. He saw Shamet’s tape from last year and was impressed with his shooting, defense and ability to cut to the basket.
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“People can sleep on him if they want, but if you think of him at Wichita State, he was a point guard then and was extremely athletic,” Brown said of Shamet. “He will dunk on you in a heartbeat. It’s not just about his shooting, and he’s making great decisions.”
It was a magical night for Shamet, who has provided Brown with much-needed depth off the bench so far this season. And now with the availability of Brunson and Anunoby up in the air, Shamet and the rest of the bench’s contributions will matter more than ever.
But Shamet stays prepared. Knowing he may potentially get more minutes with Brunson out didn’t change his approach and, in fact, he didn’t even know he was having a 30-point half while it was happening. It’s a part of the mentality that Shamet says this Knicks locker room instills and will continue to have as the year goes on.
“That’s what makes this group special, have a lot of guys that care about winning. Whatever it takes,” he said. “We had Jalen out, lose OG early there and we got contributions from across the board from everyone. It’s the mentality we have to have and will continue to have. It’s next man up. A lot of teams talk about this, but this group really embodies it and will continue to.”
