The New York Knicks' season didn't get off to the start that they imagined, as they were dominated by the Boston Celtics in a blowout loss on Tuesday night. The Celtics tied the NBA record for three-pointers made in a game in the season opener, and now it appears that the Knicks are trying to add some more firepower into their arsenal.
The Knicks are trying to add sharpshooters Landry Shamet and Matt Ryan to their team, but they aren't going about it in the way that you might think. Both players are eligible for the NBA G League Draft, which will take place on Saturday.
The Knicks' G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, have the top two picks in the draft and could use them to pick up the two snipers, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
“Landry Shamet and Matt Ryan, players the Knicks are known to covet when they take their roster from 12 to 14, are both eligible for Saturday's @nbagleague draft, sources say,” Stein reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Westchester owns the top two picks; drafting Shamet enables the Knicks to supervise his shoulder rehab.”
The Knicks waived Shamet on Saturday after he sustained a shoulder injury during a preseason game. They have also been linked with Ryan as this season has gotten underway, and this could be their easiest route to getting him in the building.
Knicks hoping season opener isn't a sign of things to come
The Knicks-Celtics matchup to open the NBA regular season on Tuesday night was billed as a blockbuster matchup between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference on paper, but what transpired on the court was anything but a marquee contest.
The Celtics ran the new-look Knicks off of the court, knocking down an absurd amount of three-pointers on their way to a 132-109 win. The margin of victory probably could have been larger had the Celtics not spent the last six minutes shooting exhibition-like three-pointers in an attempt to break the all-time NBA record, which they tied but never eclipsed.
The Knicks are hoping that's not a sign of things to come for a team that went all-in this offseason and traded for Karl-Anthony Towns to add some scoring punch to their frontcourt. Despite the discouraging loss, there are signs that the Knicks should land on their feet and be just fine.
This roster is too talented to not perform well as long as they're healthy. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby form one of the best defensive duos in the league on the wing and Jalen Brunson proved last season that he can get a bucket with the best of them.
In the middle, Towns gives the Knicks a shooter that they didn't have before, and they should get Mitchell Robinson back at some point to help out the defense. Any team would take some time to gel after such a big shakeup right before the season, so losing to the defending champs on opening night is no big deal.
