Nothing came easy. Nothing was out of reach.
Landry Fields was a three-star recruit who spent two years on Stanford’s bench before leading the Pac-10 in scoring and rebounding as a senior. He was a fringe NBA prospect who entered his first training camp buried on the depth chart and became a season-long starter for the Knicks’ first playoff team in seven years. He was booed at Madison Square Garden upon being selected with the 39th overall pick, then became a fan favorite and First Team All-Rookie selection. A less-inspiring second season was followed by a life-changing contract offer beyond his most hopeful estimate.
But less than three years after leaving New York, Fields played the final game of his career in 2015, logging 78 seconds at the close of a forgettable chapter in Toronto, where his body and his coach rarely allowed him to leave the bench. The player who never previously suffered a serious injury was inexplicably betrayed by the ulnar nerve in his shooting arm. Multiple surgeries failed to fix the problem. A new shooting form and a desperate attempt to learn shooting left-handed couldn’t revive the touch of the rookie who shot nearly 40 percent on 3-pointers (on 219 attempts), then hit 3-of-21 attempts in three seasons in Toronto.
The 23-year-old whose versatility, work ethic and selflessness appeared an ideal fit in any rotation was forced into retirement at 26.
