Mike Brown has proven to be a lot of things during his first year at the helm of the New York Knicks. The most important of these revelations: being unafraid to experiment even when it means making waves, or revisiting something or someone that failed before. His return to the Jordan Clarkson well is just the latest proof of this extensive flexibility.
After existing on the outskirts of the rotation for over a month, the 33-year-old has become more of a mainstay over New York’s last five games. We aren’t talking about garbage-time run, either. He played integral minutes during their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and then in wins over the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers.
This is a small thing on the surface. Clarkson is a reserve guard. As much as his unabashed microwave scoring might matter on any given night, the Knicks’ season has never, nor will it ever, hinge on his usage.
Yet, Brown’s latest deployment of the veteran guard was not a given. Moreover, it’s a moderately notable decision in a growing line of them that’s proving all over again why New York hitched its wagon to his direction.
Mike Brown has not shied away from making tough decisions
Turning back to Clarkson at first reeked of desperation. And it probably was. The Knicks offense is operating beneath the peak of its powers coming out of the All-Star break. Dusting off Clarkson for the first time, in that loss to the Lakers, was nothing if not an example of Brown searching for someone, anyone, to add any sort of punch.
Still, it was a hail mary that came at the expense of Jose Alvarado, the prized trade-deadline acquisition who has won over fans with his intensity. Cutting into his playing time just because he’s gone ice cold from distance isn’t a no-brainer.
Sure, his failure to drill a three in eight consecutive games makes it easier, particularly with Deuce McBride out. But Alvarado continues to sport a demonstrative on-off impact, and more critically, not all coaches would veer so far away from their typical routine. The Knicks are fresh off employing perhaps the most notorious of them.
Brown’s superpower is his willingness not just to try things, but to be potentially uncomfortable. He has benched Mikal Bridges down the stretch of multiple games. The same has happened with Karl-Anthony Towns. Even though he is so far resisting change to the starting lineup, he has pulled Josh Hart, too.
The tinkering is just as evident on the margins. Mohamed Diawara’s emergence is a byproduct of his play, and Brown’s willingness to actually try him at all. Tyler Kolek received an adequate crack at securing a backup ball-handler spot well before the trade deadline. Pacome Dadiet received first-quarter minutes in New York’s win over the Pacers.
Landry Shamet’s stock has skyrocketed amid Brown’s reliance on him. The head honcho gave Jeremy Sochan a real chance, including as a backup 5, before relegating him to break-in-case-of-emergency status.
Brown’s constant tinkering bodes well for the Knicks moving forward
It can sometimes seem like Brown’s futzing and fiddling lends itself to inconsistency, or even incoherence. But 86 percent of New York’s minutes this season come from players on last year’s roster. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder have a higher continuity rating.
If Brown and the Knicks are still experimenting come playoff time, perhaps that warrants some concern. Then again, this flexibility could also swing a game, or an entire series, in their favor.
If nothing else, Brown’s approach is equal parts breath of fresh air relative to the past few years, and a welcome philosophy knowing tough decisions await. The Knicks will be reincorporating Deuce McBride at some point, and his return poses all sorts of questions about the uses of, above all, Alvarado, Clarkson, and even Shamet.
Whether there’s a clear answer or one that requires more nuance and further digging, Brown has earned something his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, didn’t necessarily have: benefit of the doubt.