Landry Shamet made his return just over a week ago following a 25 game absence with a shoulder injury, and he’s already reminded the Knicks why he was missed.

In just his fourth game back, Shamet lit up the crosstown Nets for 18 points on 6-7 shooting from three in a dominant win.

Neither that victory or Shamet’s return can single-handedly restore the magic that New York lost during their recent 2-9 skid, but having the veteran shooter back in the fold is a bigger development than is being discussed -- let’s dive into why.

Shamet’s game starts with his shooting, an area he’s excelled throughout his career, hitting 38.7 percent of his nearly 2,000 three-point attempts. He’s been especially locked in this season, shooting a career-high 43.5 percent on 4.5 attempts a night.

His accuracy stays steady whether he’s shooting off the catch or dribble, and chasing him off the line hasn’t been effective when he’s looking to attack the rim and pull-up from mid-range. He’s been extra dangerous from the corners -- if he scores his next one he’ll be 50 percent from the baseline.

Why is this so valuable to the Knicks? Head coach Mike Brown, like others before him, have tried to emphasize three-point shooting but have been met with some roster limitations.

Jalen Brunson is one of the best shooters in the league, it is hard to treat him that way without taking him off the ball more than you should. Karl-Anthony Towns is another elite shooter, but is having a down year and isn’t easily fed high volumes of threes with his mobility.

Miles McBride is lacing threes at a 43.7 percent clip, albeit mostly on catch-and-shoots, but after that the list gets shaky.

Mikal Bridges is shooting 40 percent but still struggles from the top of the key and also isn’t looking for them off the bounce much. Then you get to OG Anunoby, who is inexplicably below 34 percent right now, and Josh Hart, who is even more inexplicably at 40 percent, but is still getting mixed treatment from defenses.

The remaining reserves have disappointed from deep.

Due to some mix of regression, fatigue and whatever else dragged them down this last month, the Knicks went from hitting 38.4 percent of their threes in 2025, top four in the league, to 35.7 percent the last 12 games, only 15th in the NBA.

If there was ever a time to need a jolt of shooting, it’s now.

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