Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson looks to pass against Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter. Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

New Guard Might Not Help Knicks

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks are counting on Jordan Clarkson to be the answer to the team's depth issues.

Clarkson is viewed as one of the top contributors for the second unit next season, but Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes doesn't think Clarkson will be part of the solution to the team's problem.

"Jordan Clarkson, a spark-plug reserve, seems like exactly what the doctor ordered — if it were five years ago," Hughes wrote.

"The offensive-minded guard has been good for at least 15.0 points per game since 2018-19, won Sixth man of the Year in 2020-21 and finished fourth the following season. Slippage has been a constant ever since, and Clarkson now enters his age-33 campaign with real questions about his efficiency, durability and fitness for a roster designed to win games.

"Maybe Clarkson still has his fastball, and maybe he'll rediscover his best self now freed of the tankathon in Utah. But this is a player who's supposed to bolster a Brunson-less offense — only he's posted true shooting percentages below the league average in each of the previous five seasons."

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson shoots the ball in front of New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Clarkson, 33, averaged 16.2 points per game in 37 appearances for the Jazz last season, so he has the potential to be a big-time scorer off the bench. However, Hughes has a point in that his role with the Knicks should be very different than what he was to the Jazz.

Clarkson won't have the ball in his hands nearly as often in New York as he did in Utah because he'll be surrounded by better players. The Jazz relied on Clarkson to be a steady hand in the offense and to score. While the Knicks also want him to score, it won't be on a primary basis. He should have at least one or two players that should have the ball in their hands before him.

There's hope that Clarkson will emerge into the vision the Knicks set out for him when they signed him in free agency, but time will tell if he ends up being a fit in Mike Brown's system.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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