CHARLOTTE – After seeing Landry Shamet’s shoulder dislodge from its socket four days prior, the official medical update on Wednesday felt more encouraging than it could’ve been.
Shamet was diagnosed with a sprained shoulder and will be re-evaluated in about four weeks, league sources confirmed, with the shooting guard already starting rehab.
A source said the injury wasn’t as bad as Shamet’s dislocation from last year, but the recovery timeline is lengthy enough to present a conundrum.
The Knicks relied heavily on Shamet through the first month of the season, with coach Mike Brown deploying faith and minutes into the 28-year-old shooting guard.
Shamet might’ve been in the beginning of a career resurgence when he collided Saturday with Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr., sending Shamet to the locker room with a pained face while holding his shoulder.
It was the same right shoulder Shamet dislocated before last season, leaving it more susceptible to popping out without surgery.
So now what?
The update of a sprain seems to avoid the worst-case scenario of requiring season-ending surgery, but it doesn’t mean Shamet is scheduled to return in four weeks. It just means there will be another update in about four weeks – or on Dec. 24 – with the message presumably dependent on rehab progress.
So Shamet will miss at least 11 more games, starting with Wednesday against the Hornets. The Knicks were already shorthanded, especially on defense because of OG Anunoby’s hamstring strain and Mitchell Robinson’s load management plan.
Importantly, Shamet’s contract becomes guaranteed in early January and the Knicks can waive him without penalty before Jan. 7 – two weeks after the scheduled update.
If the Knicks release Shamet, they have the cap space to sign a free agent. But the options are limited – at least before the buyout market materializes in February – and Shamet is proven as productive in this system when healthy.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
