Last season, the New York Knicks' bench scored 4.5 fewer points per game than any other team in the NBA's. Offseason signing Jordan Clarkson is helping them turn that around. Through their first nine games, the Knicks were 27th in bench points per game through Sunday. Over the team's four-game winning streak, though, they've been sixth in the league.
Clarkson has been a major factor in this turnaround. He has played 16.3 minutes per game through the Knicks' first nine, scoring just over nine points each night on 44.8% shooting. It's been in the first four games of the team's home stand, though, that the veteran scorer has leveled up his impact.
The 33-year-old started the home stand with back-to-back 15-point, two-assist performances. He was effective from distance, shooting 5-11 on 3-pointers over the pair of wins. Clarkson had a quieter night against the Timberwolves, playing just 16 minutes and chipping in seven points on six shots. The veteran got right back to torching defenses in a blowout win over the Nets.
Clarkson's 11 points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals don't necessarily scream at you from the box score. But even with just one of his three attempts from downtown falling, he shot 5-8 from the floor overall. The Knicks likely would have beaten Brooklyn, who entered the matchup 1-8, regardless. But Clarkson's efficiency in just 18 minutes off the bench was a great sign for the organization that the guard is continuing to heat up.
Knicks' bench should find more success as Mike Brown feels out rotations
New York's bench playing the least minutes per game of any teams' second unit last season certainly contributed to their lack of scoring. However, every team outside of the bottom-four in bench scoring got 30 points per game, or more, from their reserves in 2025. The league median was 35.85 points per game. The Knicks' 21.7 bench points per game was not close to the 29th most, the Lakers, at 26.2.
To start the 2025-26 season, the Knicks' bench had only played more than six other teams' reserves through nine games. And, despite ranking 24th in minutes per game through Monday, they were 27th in bench points per game. Head coach Mike Brown has made clear he is not above criticism for this.
The team's new coach admitted after Sunday night's win over the Nets that he's still feeling out the team's rotations. Exactly one week earlier, he said after the team defeated the Bulls that the team had struggled to find a consistent rhythm on offense because he had been "all over the map with the substitutions."
As Brown continues to feel out the configurations of Knicks that work best, and when to deploy them, fans can remain hopeful that the 6-3 group is just getting started. The 4-0 start they have gotten off to on this home stand is a good sign of that. And with three more games at home before the team gets back to traveling, they have plenty of time to speed up before takeoff.