The New York Knicks are going to target a backup point guard on the trade market. That looms as bad news for Jordan Clarkson, who will see his minutes slashed if and when a move is made.
Nothing is etched in stone, obviously. But SNY’s Ian Begley writes that the Knicks will probably prioritize landing another offensive organizer ahead to bring off the bench behind Jalen Brunson.
The merits of this approach are debatable, at best. The impact it will have on Clarkson’s role —and even future—with the team is not.
Jordan Clarkson is benefiting from the state of the Knicks’ rotation
Like Begley notes, the Knicks are generally running a point guard-by-committee approach whenever Brunson isn’t on the floor. Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Deuce McBride, and Clarkson himself all subsume more ball-handling responsibility during those stretches.
Adding another guard to the mix will invariably require cutting minutes from someone. Clarkson is bound to be that someone.
We have already seen his minutes fluctuate more following the emergence of Landry Shamet. Clarkson should see his floor time increase while Shamet deals with a shoulder injury, but that buys him only so much security.
Let’s assume the Knicks drop a playmaker-type into the rotation over the next two months or so. Who else’s minutes stand to be impacted?
Head coach Mike Brown could play Josh Hart less to preserve spacing, but there’s no way that goes over well. Unlike Clarkson, Hart also has the capacity to defend more positions, including some bigger wings and forwards when OG Anunoby is catching a breather or missing extensive time.
McBride’s roller-coaster offense could put him in the crosshairs, but this would again require the Knicks to deemphasize defense. Deuce is proving integral to Bridges’ new and better-fitting role on the less-glamorous end. It might be possible to buy more time without him on the court if Mitchell Robinson was capable of anchoring lineups with rickety ball-containment. So far, he’s not.
Clarkson better hope the Knicks prioritize another trade-deadline need
Figuring out where Clarkson fits within a rotation that features a conventional backup point guard gets even harder if New York plans on re-integrating Shamet back into the mix. And the outgoing package for said backup-guard isn’t likely to help.
The Knicks almost assuredly won’t be moving a rotation player like Deuce, Hart, or even Guerschon Yabusele to make room for Brunson’s understudy. More likely than not, it’ll be Tyler Kolek and/or Pacome Dadiet, plus perhaps some draft compensation.
This calculus changes if the Knicks recalibrate their focus. And for what it’s worth, they should absolutely recalibrate their focus. The offense is so far holding up pretty well in non-Brunson minutes. Though the playoffs are a different kind of litmus test, it’s tough to place too much stock in postseason minutes without Brunson when there are so few of them.
Targeting someone else who can defend bigger wings would do more for the long-term viability of this team. You could make the same case for another rim protector if Robinson is going to continue to be a reduced version of his former self.
In the event the Knicks do decide to go the backup-point-guard route, though, Clarkson is bound to become collateral damage—regardless of whether he’s part of the actual trade.