CLEVELAND — It had been more than five months since the Knicks stepped inside Rocket Arena, where they conquered the East in a resounding sweep of the Cavaliers to clinch their first NBA Finals berth in 26 years.
It was in that Eastern Conference finals that Landry Shamet emerged as a folk hero, beginning with his instantly iconic game-tying 3-pointer that miraculously bounced in during the 22-point fourth quarter comeback in Game 1.
After being ousted from the rotation in the first round, Shamet went 11-for-12 on 3-pointers against the Cavaliers, setting a single-series postseason record.
When Shamet returned to the site of the team’s celebration Saturday morning, he was welcomed by some of the best memories of his career.
“It’s human nature, you’re gonna revert back and think back to the last time you were in the building,” Shamet said before Saturday night’s game against the Cavaliers. “I had a quick little firing of that walking in for shootaround, but I think the general sense was that was last year. That was great. You can have those memories and hang on to that as long as we want, but ultimately this year is a new year and a new endeavor.”
Shamet’s ninth season in the league is unlike any he’s experienced.
After spending his first six years with five teams, Shamet has started his third straight season with the same team for the first time.
After playing on nonguaranteed deals the past two seasons in New York — and claiming the final roster spot last fall — Shamet, 29, is now in the first year of a four-year, $24 million contract that he signed with the Knicks this summer.
“The biggest thing is just being comfortable with the guys on the floor, second year with [head coach] Mike [Brown],” Shamet said. “I think that just breeds confidence. Familiarity breeds confidence. There’s no denying that. It allows you to get to the point of conversations quicker. It makes for a good formula to find success.”
Entering Saturday, Shamet was averaging 9.4 points — ranking fourth on the Knicks — while shooting 42.5 percent on 3-pointers and playing his most minutes (24.9) in seven seasons.
Shamet made his first start of the season — in place of the injured Josh Hart — in Wednesday’s blowout win over the Bulls. In the Knicks’ previous two wins, Shamet was on the floor for the closing stretch, as the struggling Mikal Bridges remained on the bench.
Shamet does not know when he will be needed. He does not need to, likening his spot on the team to that of his high school friend Aaron Ashby, who just delivered one of the greatest postseason runs by a reliever for the World Series champion Brewers.
“Especially with [my] role, I think I take a lot from my buddy Ashby, bullpen guy, you don’t know when you’re gonna get thrown in, what the situation’s gonna be,” Shamet said. “My job might look a little different from night to night. If I’m changing my approach every night, that’s not setting myself up for a good situation.
“I think in the past in my career when I was younger I would try to overcomplicate things and think I have to reinvent the wheel. I try to just keep it as simple as possible, reduce it down to my job, my impact and just play my game.”
