WASHINGTON, DC — Landry Shamet's first sensations were shock and pain.
A lot of pain.
“It just hurts,” Shamet said in an interview with the Post. “There was probably no part of it that didn't hurt for more than five days after it happened.”
There was also no clarity on the nature of Shamet's injury.
Or maybe it was bad timing.
Just four days before final cutbacks and with no guarantee of a contract, Shamet's limp shooting skills told the story.
Like everyone who watched the stomach-churning replay, the veteran Knicks guard quickly realized that his shoulder had come off the receiving end.
“Oh, it was out,” Shamet said. “I’ve never had anything like that either, so I think that was part of it.
“Even if it didn't turn out that way, I think it was pretty shocking just to get an injury like that. I'll be 28 in March. I've been playing this game for a long time, but to get an injury like that… It's the first time I've ever done that, and you're like, “What?” what's happening? 'You're trying to move your arm. I can't move my arms. My hands are numb. I feel like I've been shot. ”
The next five minutes “felt like an eternity,” Shamet said.
I had a lidocaine injection to numb my shoulder. Someone put it back together. An X-ray was then taken.
Within four days of the injury, Shamet was released by the Knicks and his contract was terminated.
After consulting with doctors, Shamet chose the riskier path of rehabilitation without surgery in order to speed up his recovery.
Julius Randle tried the same path last season and failed.
The past 10 weeks have been a roller coaster for Shamet, despite his high performance in Orlando and fruitful return to the Knicks' rotation.
“The first week was really painful and there were stretches where I couldn't even lift my arms to wash my armpits or brush my teeth,” Shamet said. “There are times when you think, 'God.' That's what I'm talking about on the mental side. Not only are you dealing with an injury and rehabbing something you've never dealt with before, but you're doing it right now. I'm away from the team, and I'm out of rhythm. So that part can be difficult. And there were definitely some pretty dark days where I was like, “Oh, I'm still here.'' ” Something like that. It still hurts. ”
“But there were days when I had a big jump and I was like, ‘Okay.’ So both emotions were prevalent.”
Friday night felt like one of Shamet's more encouraging days.
In his third game after re-signing to a one-year deal, he was re-inserted into a rotation that manager Tom Thibodeau expanded to nine to accommodate Shamet, and hit 3-of-4 with two steals in 10 minutes. He dropped 7 points. field.
His addition to the rotation is potentially big for the Knicks (21-10), whose biggest weakness is depth.
Heading into Saturday's game against the Wizards, they were last in the NBA in bench scoring (just 20.8 points per game) and minutes played.
No other teams were nearby.
As a result, New York's starters have shouldered the burden of league-leading minutes.
But with the addition of Shamet on Friday night, Thibodeau increased his rotation from eight to nine players.
OG Anunoby, who had wraps around his surgically repaired right elbow and lower left leg, played his fewest minutes of the season (28 minutes).
Shamet helped set the balance while making his only 3-point shot.
“It's still working,” Shamet said of his shot.
That wasn't always a given. Getting to this point has been a painful and unpredictable process.
“I couldn't use my right arm for six weeks,” he said.
