In true New York Knicks fan fashion, one of the biggest topics of debate on social media following the team's first loss of the season has been Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele — specifically, Clarkson. There was a lot of offseason hype about the Knicks signing him, but he has yet to prove why on the court.
In the Knicks' season-opening win against the Cavaliers, Clarkson finished with four points (2-of-7 from the field, 0-of-2 from three) in 13 minutes. In the win over the Celtics, he posted six points (2-of-5 from the field, 2-of-4 from three) in 16 minutes. On Sunday, Clarkson had eight points, but on 2-of-11 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 from three in 15 minutes.
He had a +/- of -12, with Yabusele being the only other player on the team with a worse +/- (-15).
It's still way too early to write Clarkson (or Yabusele) off, as there are still 79 regular-season games left. These are two new players who are still acclimating to their change in environment. However, even knowing how much basketball there is left to play, there are concerns about whether this is the version of Clarkson that New York will have for most of the season.
Jordan Clarkson's struggles continue in Knicks' loss to Heat
Clarkson, 33, spent the past five-and-a-half seasons with the Jazz. He was part of Utah powering itself to the top of the conference (and he won Sixth Man of the Year in the process!) and, in the past few seasons, returning to the bottom of the conference rankings.
Going from a team whose top priority was tanking to one that is all-in on winning a championship is quite a difference. It's why Clarkson wanted to sign with the Knicks — to make what he, and everyone else within the organization, hopes will be a deep playoff run.
How can Clarkson help New York get there? For starters, he needs to knock down shots at a far more consistent rate, and speaking of shooting, he doesn't need to launch one shot per second he's on the floor. The Knicks aren't the Jazz.
Over the past week, even the Clarkson optimists (however many there were) have had to temper their expectations. Fans should've known that the Clarkson signing would be a roller coaster experience, and so far, the downs have far outnumbered the ups.
What's the good news? That it's still only October. Clarkson can be a valuable contributor off the bench for New York. Let's hope what we've seen thus far isn't a sign of what's to come. If it is, there's a chance Clarkson could find his way out of the rotation.