Knicks Get Grade on Jordan Clarkson Signing

The New York Knicks are improving their backcourt by agreeing to terms with veteran guard Jordan Clarkson, who will be bought out by the Utah Jazz before the start of the new league year.

Clarkson comes to the Knicks as a potential replacement for Landry Shamet, who hit free agency after one season in New York.

Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey graded the signing, giving the Knicks a "B" for the move.

"Jordan Clarkson has never been a terribly efficient scorer, but he's still found a way to dip below his career standards over the last two seasons," Bailey wrote.

"His 47.8 effective field-goal percentage in that span is a whopping 6.7 points below the league average."

"But that dip also coincided with an uptick in passing (he's averaged 4.5 assists over the last three seasons), and Clarkson can still flip a quarter or game when he gets hot off the bench."

"For a team that desperately needed some second-unit firepower in 2024-25, this is a solid addition."

Clarkson, 33, averaged 16.2 points per game this past season for the Jazz. His lack of participation this season was partially related to a foot injury, but the Jazz's direction as a rebuilding team prompted them to play younger guards instead of Clarkson.

Clarkson comes to the Knicks with a far different mindset than the Jazz, where he is looking to win his first NBA championship. He played in the NBA Finals back in 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and made three postseason appearances with the Jazz from 2020-22, but he has been shut out of the playoffs for the past three seasons.

That shouldn't be the case with the Knicks, where Clarkson will have an opportunity to compete for minutes in new head coach Mike Brown's playoff rotation.