The New York Knicks landing Jordan Clarkson on a minimum contract after his buyout seemed like a win, but the franchise will quickly regret the move. The 32-year-old will be a scorer off the bench in a limited role. The Knicks won’t survive defensively with Jalen Brunson and Clarkson in the backcourt. JB will play massive minutes, even if new head coach Mike Brown scales down his workload. Where does that leave Clarkson?
The 33-year-old has never played fewer than 23.3 minutes per game and has averaged 28.6 each night over the last five years. He wants to play and impact the game. With Brunson getting 35 minutes every night, that leaves just 13 for Clarkson to be the primary creator. Expect the veteran to shine in those minutes, but will he be happy if his time next to JB is limited or non-existent?
Clarkson is a valuable sixth man on the surface, but the underlying numbers paint a problematic picture for the Knicks. New York is all-in on winning in the wide-open Eastern Conference. Clarkson may not provide as much help as fans think, and that could quickly create an even bigger problem.
Knicks will regret signing Jordan Clarkson
Clarkson averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 26.0 minutes per game for the Jazz. He shot just 40.8 percent from the field and is a career 33.6 percent 3-point shooter. The 6’3 guard is a bucket, but needs the ball in his hands.
Brunson was second in the NBA in time of possession last season, and there is only one ball. It may benefit JB from having the ball less, but the Knicks were a top-five offense last season. Letting Clarkson shoot inefficiently and be a gunner won’t improve that standing.
Furthermore, the Jazz were worse with Clarkson on the floor last season. They had a negative-10.2 net rating with him and a negative-8.9 when he went to the bench. Those are not exactly the numbers a contending team wants to see from a player hoping to get 25-30 minutes per game.
Clarkson’s defense is problematic. His negative-2.1 defensive box score plus-minus would have been the seventh-worst in the NBA if he played enough games to qualify. The Knicks are leaning toward offense under Mike Brown, but they can’t get stops with Brunson, Clarkson, and Karl-Anthony Towns sharing the floor.
Not fitting with the team’s two best players will keep Clarkson out of lineups. Brown won’t have a choice if the Knicks want to win. Even if they can score 120 points with him on the floor, New York may give up 125.
If Clarkson is only playing 15-20 minutes per game, will he be content? Things could quickly turn from bad to worse. The last thing New York needs is someone unhappy with their role in the locker room.
The New York Knicks plan on Jordan Clarkson being their sixth man. He is an absolute bucket, but doesn’t fit with the rest of their roster. There will be rough moments, but the problem may not be on full display until the playoffs. Clarkson may get removed from the rotation or watch his playing time plummet as the Knicks lean into Brunson and KAT. The franchise will quickly regret this move as they realize Clarkson will be of zero help in winning the most important games.