New York Knicks fans are witnessing the Jordan Clarkson experience unfold right before their very eyes.
Throughout his 12-year NBA career, the guard has proven to be rather inconsistent when it comes to his per-game production. Less than 10 games into his tenure out in the Big Apple, he's once again shown this up-and-down style of play.
However, over his last couple of outings, Clarkson has shown himself to be a real difference-maker off the pine, and, in turn, has seemingly uncovered the key to success within coach Mike Brown's system.
Jordan Clarkson must capitalize on catch-and-shoot looks with Knicks
Though best known for his microwave isolation scoring skills, with every passing day, it's becoming increasingly evident that the best way for Clarkson to make the most of his minutes with the Knicks is to lean away from self-creation and, instead, more into capitalizing on off-the-catch opportunities.
With coach Brown now running the show, New York has seen a major uptick in catch-and-shoot attempts compared to last season, as they've gone from ranking 27 in such shots hoisted per game at 24.9 during the 2024-25 campaign to 34.4, the second-most in 2025-26.
So far, the most successful contributors within this offensive system have been thriving when it comes to these specific sets, with guys like Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges (three of the club's top-four scorers) all boasting an effective field goal percentage north of 63.0 percent.
Recently, Clarkson has seen a surge in his on-court production while coming off the pine for the Knicks, as he's been averaging 15.0 points per game on 57.9 percent shooting from the floor and 45.5 percent shooting from deep since November 2.
Unsurprisingly, he's found himself ranking fifth on the team in attempts and fourth in effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoot opportunities during this span, with his marks of 4.0 and 75.0, respectively, far surpassing the 2.8 attempts and 42.9 effective field goal percentage he was sporting over his first five contests.
It's well understood that Clarkson has made a career for himself thanks to his stellar on-ball scoring abilities and athleticism. He took home Sixth Man of the Year honors back in 2021 largely because of them.
However, if he wants to establish himself as an essential part of this title-hopeful Knicks rotation moving forward, he'll likely need to adopt more of an off-ball approach to his game.
During these early stages of his debut campaign with the club, he's already proven capable of thriving when locked in.
The only thing left for him to do is find a way to remain consistent on this front.