Jordan Clarkson regained his spot in the New York Knicks rotation by turning himself into a try-hard defender and offensive rebounder. If anyone was wondering whether this would hold into the playoffs, against better competition and higher stakes, they now have their answer: No, it’s not going to hold.
Because he’s going to get even better, emerging perhaps as the best pound-for-pound offensive rebounder of the entire playoffs.
This sentiment is presented without the slightest hint of hyperbole. It is wild to consider, a real existential test of everything we thought that we knew about a 33-year-old who’s been in the league for 12 seasons, and who’s supposed to be a relatively inefficient microwave scorer, nothing more.
Well, so much for that.
Jordan Clarkson is the best offensive rebounding guard of the postseason
Entering New York’s’ Game 6 matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, Clarkson is grabbing 14.5 percent of his team’s misses when on the floor. Among 57 players standing 6’5” or shorter who have logged more than 25 total minutes, this ranks first—and it isn’t even close.
Here are the top-five offensive rebounding rates for the 6’5”-and-under crew:
- Jordan Clarkson: 14.5 percent
- Bronny James: 9.2 percent
- Ajay Mitchell: 9 percent
- VJ Edgecombe: 8.8 percent
- Max Strus: 8.6 percent
Pardon my French, but: Holy. Crap.
This is actually bonkers. It is even crazier when you consider that Clarkson didn’t snag a single offensive rebound in Game 5.
Clarkson’s reinvention has changed things for the Knicks
These efforts from Clarkson matter a great deal to the Knicks. On the most fundamental level, he is eminently more playable when he’s busting his butt on defense, and putting pressure on the basket. It is the offensive rebounding, however, that’s unlocking a lot of his value right now.
Extra possessions are always a good thing. They are even more valuable when your team hasn’t relied as heavily as many expected on Mitchell Robinson, the Offensive Rebounding Emperor Supreme. They are more valuable still when you’re leaning on a lot of three-guard lineups.
Clarkson has disarmed the Hawks by giving the Knicks a second-chance master from an unlikely source. He is crashing from the corners and the wing, trailing plays in transition, and even battling for position with the likes of Jalen Johnson.
It isn’t just the offensive rebounds themselves. Clarkson has been instrumental in generating tip-outs, and keeping the ball alive. New York is grabbing a rebound on 42.9 percent of its missed threes with him in the game. That’s the largest mark on the squad. The 29.7 second-chance points per 100 possessions they’re averaging with him on the floor are also a team-high.
This isn’t an attempt to overstate the importance of Clarkson. There will be matchups that aren’t great for him if the Knicks get deeper into the postseason bracket. But claiming that he’s critical to them, at all, isn’t an exaggeration. It’s just a fact—one he’s reiterating, ad nauseam, when it matters most.
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