Jordan Clarkson is officially out of the New York Knicks’ rotation, and Mike Brown’s decision to keep him on the bench proves what fans already knew: Jose Alvarado completely stole Clarkson’s spot. The veteran guard hasn’t played real minutes for the Knicks since right before the trade deadline.
In the Knicks’ seven games since the deadline, Clarkson has only appeared in two. And in both of his appearances, Clarkson played fewer than seven minutes (1:09 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 24, and 6:13 against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 27). He’s just not playing the same number of minutes as he was at the beginning of the season.
And it seemed as though everyone saw it coming.
It seemed inevitable, but Jordan Clarkson is now officially out of the Knicks' rotation
As soon as the Knicks traded for Alvarado, there was at least a little bit of an inkling that Clarkson’s minutes could be in danger. And that’s even with Miles McBride’s injury being factored into the equation.
And lo and behold, as soon as Alvarado put on a Knicks uniform, he stepped into a prominent role off the bench. Brown slotted him as one of the team’s top supporting cast members in the rotation.
His defensive intensity and ball-handling made him a more impactful player than Clarkson, who is primarily a scorer. New York just needed other things more than a streaky scoring guard.
Then, when Landry Shamet started shooting the ball better, he saw an uptick in minutes as well. He’s been great for the Knicks as of late, so that’s yet another guard coming off the bench alongside Alvarado. And McBride isn’t even back yet.
At first, in the first few games before trade deadline day, Clarkson was still getting a few chances. He’d play a few minutes to see if he could get going, and if he didn’t, he’d hit the pine.
But now, he’s completely fallen out of Brown’s rotation, and based on the way things were trending post-Alvarado trade, it feels as though most Knicks fans saw that change coming.
The unfortunate reality of the situation is that the Knicks just have too many quality guys on their bench right now. Even rookie Mohamed Diawara has been showing out, so Brown has to find a way to keep him on the floor at times.
When the Knicks signed Clarkson, it seemed like a smart move. He’s a talented scorer and can really shoot the ball from deep when he’s hot.
But now, as far as Brown’s rotation goes, he’s on the outside looking in.