Between Tyler Kolek’s recent emergence and, most importantly, Deuce McBride’s imminent return to the lineup, we are about to get an ironclad sense of whether Jordan Clarkson will have a significant role for the New York Knicks moving forward.
Up-and-down play from the veteran guard long ago put him in the big-picture crosshairs. Injuries and a general dearth of reliable ball-handling options beyond Jalen Brunson have so far preserved his spot in the rotation.
But that’s all about to potentially change.
Deuce McBride’s return could shift the Knicks’ rotation
As Ian Begley of SNY noted on a recent episode of The Putback with Ian Begley, McBride’s return from an ankle injury is on the horizon, barring an unforeseen setback. When he’s given the all-clear, he’ll be rejoining a guard rotation that’s slightly more crowded than when he left it.
After spending much of this season as a break-in-case-of-emergency afterthought, Tyler Kolek has become more of a staple. Injuries to McBride and Landry Shamet opened the door temporarily, but he’s currently playing well enough for New York to keep leaning on him.
Though outside shooting remains a question mark, Kolek is downing 60 percent of his twos since re-entering the rotation a little more than 10 games ago. He also seems less hesitant to fire away from long range, which is an improvement by itself.
Most critically, though, he’s giving the Knicks another steady ball-handler who can navigate backcourt pressure, and draw in multiple defenders on drives. Mike Brown didn’t close with him during the NBA Cup Final win over the San Antonio Spurs by accident. It was an active decision made in the best interests of the team.
Jordan Clarkson’s spot on the Knicks could be in jeopardy
There will be a minutes crunch if the Knicks intend to keep giving Kolek additional runway. And rest assured, the squeeze will not be felt by McBride. His three-point volume and efficiency have become just as important as his defense.
Unless New York is planning to downsize and trim minutes for Josh Hart or Mikal Bridges, Clarkson could be the odd man out. With the way he’s playing at the moment, it may not even be a question.
Despite delivering some big moments in the NBA Cup Final, Clarkson is now shooting under 30 percent from three-point range, and has barely hovered above 40 percent inside the arc in recent weeks.
He has also failed to adequately step up during stretches in which Brunson is on the bench. The Knicks are having more success, statistically, when filling those gaps with Kolek.
Clarkson has time to right the ship. And the Knicks knew they were boarding one of the NBA’s most turbulent roller coasters when they signed him. But their well-established interest in landing another guard suggests they’re not putting much stock in both Clarkson and Kolek remaining rotation mainstays. One of them seems likely to fall by the wayside in the coming months, if not be traded themselves.
Relative to what’s happening on the court right now, we know which one of them that will be.