Knicks’ Rotation Crunch Leaves Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele on the Outside Looking In
What began as a promising offseason for the Knicks’ bench has quickly turned into a numbers game - and not the kind New York was hoping for.
The front office made two calculated moves to shore up one of the league’s least productive second units last season. They used their mid-level exception on Guerschon Yabusele, locking him into a two-year, $10 million deal. Then they added veteran scorer and former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson on a minimum contract, banking on his offensive punch to help balance a top-heavy rotation.
But as the Knicks hit the stretch before the February 5 trade deadline, both additions are fading into the background.
Yabusele’s time in New York might end before it ever really began. He’s already surfaced in trade discussions, a clear sign that his role - or lack thereof - isn’t aligning with the team’s current needs.
Meanwhile, Clarkson’s spot in the rotation is on similarly shaky ground. After logging just 1:42 in the first quarter against the Mavericks on Monday, head coach Mike Brown didn’t send him back in.
That brief appearance marked Clarkson’s shortest outing since joining the team.
Brown didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
“Yeah. It can be tough to get [Jordan] in the rotation,” he said before Wednesday’s matchup with the Nets.
“Obviously Deuce played well, Mitch played well and Landry played at a pretty high level before he got hurt. And so trying to find minutes for those guys - as well as for our starting group - is tough.
I can’t even hit the minute threshold for all those guys I’m looking for. It can be tough from time to time.”
The math isn’t in Clarkson’s favor. The Knicks already have a firm top eight: Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Miles McBride (Deuce), Mitchell Robinson, and Landry Shamet. That’s a lot of mouths to feed in a rotation Brown said he wants to keep tight - ideally around 9.5 to 10 players.
Clarkson was supposed to be part of that equation. So was Yabusele. But instead of rounding out the rotation, they’ve become the odd men out.
Clarkson had been contributing in limited minutes - averaging around 10 points in 20 minutes per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 33.3% from deep. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but they’re serviceable for a bench scorer.
Still, with Shamet returning from a shoulder injury and McBride playing some of his best basketball, the margin for error is razor-thin. Clarkson’s defensive limitations and score-first mentality may be working against him in a system that prioritizes ball movement and positional flexibility.
And that brings us to Mohamed Diawara - a rookie who’s quietly carving out a role in the same crowded rotation. While his box score impact is modest - around two points and a rebound per game - Diawara has shown enough on the defensive end and as a floor spacer to earn Brown’s trust in spot minutes. He’s even started five games this season, stepping in during stretches when injuries tested the Knicks’ depth.
“Mo’s played well. I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” Brown said.
“He’s got great size. He’s got really good instinct for a young guy.
A part of that instinct is a feel on the offensive floor of how to move the basketball which makes the game easier for everybody, and he’s working really hard on the shot and his decision-making when he hits the paint. With his length and feel and IQ, he’s a pretty good rebounder and a pretty good defender for a young guy.”
Diawara’s 37% shooting from three, albeit on limited attempts, is another encouraging sign - especially for a team that values spacing around its core playmakers.
So while Clarkson and Yabusele were brought in to provide veteran depth, it’s the rookie who’s seizing the moment. And with the trade deadline looming, the Knicks may need to make some tough calls about how to maximize this roster for the second half of the season.
The vision was clear: build out a 10-man rotation that could keep the starters fresh and the offense humming. But as it stands, that vision is being rewritten in real time - and for Clarkson and Yabusele, it may mean their time in New York is running out before it ever really got started.