Jordan Clarkson’s spot in the Knicks’ rotation won’t come down to reputation. It’s going to come down to whether he can make enough shots from deep to stay useful every night.
That was the issue last season, even in a year that ended with a championship and a one-year return to New York for about $3.9 million. Clarkson, now in his 12th season and 34 years old, posted career lows in minutes per game at 17.8 and scoring average at 8.6. He still found a way to remain part of the mix for most of the postseason, but the regular season told a different story.
There was a stretch from mid-February into early March when he was pushed out of the rotation entirely. That’s the danger for him again if the shot isn’t there.
Clarkson’s 3-point numbers have never made him a pure specialist. His career mark sits at 33.6%, and his 32.7% clip in 2025-26 is close to that level. But the playoff numbers were rough: he hit only four of 21 attempts, good for 21.1%.
The most striking part of that slump came in the postseason. His first 3-pointer didn’t fall until Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 19 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Before that, he had gone 21 straight games without making one from outside. The last one before that drought came on March 20.
Clarkson did show he could help in other ways once he got back into the rotation. For the first time in his career, really, he started pressuring ball handlers before they crossed half court. He also attacked the offensive glass with a level of urgency that stood out, especially for a player in his 12th season.
The question now is whether those changes hold up over 82 games. Even if they show up a little less often, the outside shot still matters most for keeping him in the regular mix.
That’s because the Knicks are mostly running it back from their championship group, with Andre Drummond stepping in for Mitchell Robinson as the backup big. There are also younger players in the picture. Mohamed Diawara and Tyler Kolek could keep developing and press for minutes, and Clarkson is the one who could get squeezed if he doesn’t produce enough.
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