LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 16: Jordan Clarkson (L) #00 and Tyler Kolek #13 of the New York Knicks celebrate after Clarkson hit a 3-pointer against the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter of the championship game of the Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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The reaction to the signing of a 10th man should be near silence, but New York celebrates a key return of a piece of the championship team. Last week, Jordan Clarkson agreed to the veteran minimum with the Knicks, which keeps adding depth to a group that was able to separate themselves from the competition with their volume of talent.
The interesting part about the story of Clarkson is that he is the embodiment of sacrifice for a team that had several players willing to play whatever the team ultimately asked of them. Walking into the season Clarkson was destined to play behind Brunson and enhance a bench that had a tendency to frustrate with stagnancy. Under Tom Thibodeau it was customary for the bench to feel underwhelming and underutilized.
Clarkson came into the season with plenty of talent and accolades— he won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2020-21 and he has averaged over 15 points per game in his career. Yet, Knicks fans may also have been a little hesitant of his arrival based on the game that the Utah Jazz had played against the New York Knicks during the 2024-25 season where his shot selection was lightly criticized by Mike Breen.
He proved his worth to the Knicks in several different ways over the past season. There are a few things that will be highly valuable to continue to showcase in order for him to maintain a consistent role in the rotation.
Offensive Rebounding
Clarkson had a switch set off inside him during the course of the season. Mike Brown is unafraid to make rotational choices that he thinks is best for the team so Clarkson was on the bench for the vast majority of an 11 game stretch during February and March. That time allowed for Clarkson to reflect and work with his coaches on how he could best help the team:
“I’ve had a chance to try to win a championship, going to the finals (in 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers),” Clarkson said. “(There) was stuff that team was asking me to do. And I’m here again, having a chance to contend and play in the playoffs. So, with this team, I wanna bring that energy and set an example on that end. All of us are sacrificing for one goal.”
He showed up in a big way. His offensive rebounding rate skyrocketed during the last month of the season as he punched above his weight with a 7.9 offensive rebounding percentage. That would have been the third best mark in the league among guards, which is a far cry from what you would normally expect from Clarkson. Continuing to be a menace on the boards will be crucial with the recent departure of Mitchell Robinson.
Scoring
Clarkson is still an incredibly gifted scorer. It can feel like he can get up any shot at any time with his body control, balance, and ability to finish in traffic. Generating shots on the 2nd unit was essential for the Knicks this year—the season prior they averaged 21.7 points per game which was the lowest in the NBA since the 2012-13 season. Clarkson poked and prodded his way to averaging nearly nine points per game during the regular season.
There were a couple of key moments in which that scoring came in handy. He almost helped propel the Knicks against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to a victory. He splashed some difficult 3-pointers and had a beautiful drive where he was able to beat Julian Champagnie off the dribble for a layup. It is moments like those that the Knicks will rely on from Clarkson with the hopes of another deep postseason run.
Leadership
The Knicks have a lot of veterans that have been through the grind of a season before. He’s been a part of a team that went to the NBA Finals and was also a part of several teams that failed to make the playoffs. Now, Clarkson is likely to be the oldest player on the roster for the second year in a row, which seems fine with some of the youngsters that he’s made an impact on. During a podcast Mo Diawara shouted out the leadership of Clarkson:
“He has a vocal leadership role,” Diawara said. “He’s the oldest player on the team… 34 now. At one point, he gave a speech that really touched everyone.”
There were times this year that it seemed as if the Knicks were in a bit of disarray. Karl-Anthony Towns seemed confused about his offensive role, Josh Hart was visibly frustrated about coming off of the bench to begin the season and Mikal Bridges admitted to not being coachable enough. His voice has value because even during a championship season bumps and bruises like these are the expectation, not the anomaly.
This may not necessarily dictate how much of a role he has in the rotation, but it’s generally easier to have a more commanding voice in the locker room when you’re getting playing time.