The New York Knicks are still benefitting from Jordan Clarkson's transformation in play style, even in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Clarkson pulled down five total rebounds.
It was close to a repeat of the second game of New York's first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. Clarkson grabbed five rebounds that night, too, but all of them were on the offensive glass. Either way, the 33-year-old guard is proving, with his nose for the basketball, that his reinvention of his game wasn't just a regular season trick.
It's impacting games in the playoffs, and not just because of one particular matchup. Clarkson's gotten it done on the glass against both the Hawks and Sixers, showing that the rebounds are truly just a result of buy-in and effort. The Knicks are going to need more of that, especially if they continue to advance through the Eastern Conference's side of the bracket.
Clarkson is giving the Knicks an unlikely boost as a rebounder
When Clarkson fell out of Mike Brown's rotation entirely, it took some time before he got chances to provide a scoring pop in Los Angeles. But the Knicks found themselves seemingly unable to buy a bucket, and the 33-year-old never let go of the opportunity that came his way as a result.
Even with Jose Alvarado on the roster, Clarkson made it to the team's playoff rotation. And he's rewarded Mike Brown for trusting him with his tenacious defense and intentional rebounding.
Even in Game 1 against Philadelphia, when Clarkson turned the ball over four times, the Knicks still won his 14 minutes by 11 minutes on their way to a decisive, 39-point blowout victory.
Clarkson has seven turnovers in these playoffs overall, meaning that he's totaled just three in the seven games outside of Monday's series opener. Assuming that trend keeps up, it's hard to imagine him losing his role unless Alvarado gets so scorching hot from downtown it's impossible to ignore.
Clarkson's path to more recognition for impacting Knicks' wins is clear
Part of the reimagination of Clarkson's impact on games was a major reduction in his 3-point volume. Through the first eight games of the Knicks' postseason thus far, the veteran scorer has taken eight 3-pointers – and missed all of them.
It's important for Clarkson to shoot the wide-open ones to keep defenses like the 76ers' honest. And if he can start knocking one down every now and then, it could open the door for his impact on New York's playoff victories to get a lot more recognition.
For now, he'll have to live with knowing that he's been crucial to their efforts on the margins. That seems to be enough, for the guard who played an entire NBA career as an elite bench scorer before learning to become the opposite kind of player in search of his first championship.
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