In his 12th season and first with the New York Knicks, Jordan Clarkson became an NBA champion. The 34-year-old didn’t play huge minutes during the postseason run, but he mostly remained in the rotation.
That wasn’t the case throughout the regular season, though. There was a brief period from mid-February until early March when Clarkson was taken out of the rotation.
Now another year into his career, Clarkson needs to become a more reliable 3-point shooter to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
Clarkson went nearly two months without making a 3-pointer
Last season, Clarkson averaged career lows in both minutes per game (17.8) and scoring average (8.6). It’s safe to say that he ended up okay with how the end of the year went. The Knicks re-signed the 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year this offseason on a one-year deal for about $3.9 million.
Clarkson hasn’t ever been an elite 3-point shooter during his professional career. He’s at 33.6% for his career, so his 32.7% accuracy in 2025-26 isn’t far off that mark. The 6-foot-5 guard made just four of 21 attempts (21.1%) in the playoffs.
His first make from beyond the arc in the postseason came in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 19 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Remarkably, that was the first 3-pointer he had made in nearly two months, as his previous one came on March 20. He had gone 21 consecutive games without knocking in a shot from deep.
Clarkson did other things to ensure that once he found his way back into the rotation, he would stay there.
For the first time in his career, really, he began pressuring ball handlers before they crossed half court. Clarkson began hitting the offensive glass like he never had before. It was incredible to see someone in their 12th season make such big changes to their game.
Can Clarkson continue to do those new things over a full 82-game schedule? Even if he does both of them less frequently, knocking down outside shots can help keep his spot in the regular rotation.
The Knicks are bringing back most of their normal rotation from last season's championship team—with Andre Drummond taking the place of Mitchell Robinson as the backup big—but players such as Mohamed Diawara and Tyler Kolek could continue to develop and force their way into it. Clarkson could be the player they replace if he doesn’t play up to par.
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