Landry Shamet’s tumble out of the Knicks rotation was a multistep process.
Sure, his struggles — during both the postseason and end of the regular season — played a factor.
Since March 1, he has shot 26-for-86 (30.2 percent) from 3-point range.
He played 18 and 10 minutes in the first two games against the Hawks before logging three minutes in Game 3 and not entering Game 4 until garbage time.
Jose Alvarado has usurped him in the rotation.
“It’s a little bit of a story of how it evolved,” coach Mike Brown said after practice Monday. “We won Game 1 with Landry as the backup point guard. I made a shift in Game 2 and put ‘Deuce’ [Miles McBride] as the backup point guard, and it threw our guys off a little bit when they came out on the floor. So we needed a true point guard on the floor to settle us once we got a little bit discombobulated. And when we threw Jose out there, he played well. And so I gave him another opportunity and then another, and he played well. So that’s kind of where we are.
“I said this before: Everybody has to be ready to play because anybody’s number can be called at any time. Similar to Jordan Clarkson during the course of the year, Jose wasn’t playing at the end of the year. He didn’t play the first game of the playoffs. But he stayed present, and when his number was called, he performed.”
Jalen Brunson said he spoke with Donte DiVincenzo, who ruptured his Achilles tendon during the Timberwolves’ Game 4 win over the Nuggets on Saturday.
Brunson has a long history with DiVincenzo, with whom he was teammates on both the Knicks and Villanova.
“He seemed in good spirits,” Brunson said Monday. “He’s formulating a plan, and [I] wish him nothing but the best. It sucks to see it. Honestly, after [the Knicks’ Game 4], that was like the first thing I heard, and looked it up and saw it. That’s my brother. Tough to see, but he’ll be back stronger.”
The Knicks have a clean injury report for Game 5, while Jock Landale (high ankle sprain) remains out for the Hawks.
Brunson briefly went to the locker room during the third quarter of Game 4 after Dyson Daniels fell on his left leg, but returned later in the quarter.
Monday, Brunson said his leg feels “great.”
