Dylan Backer
On Wednesday against the Utah Jazz on the road, the New York Knicks had what should have been an easy battle. Instead, it started out as the opposite, despite them winning convincingly 134-117.
Knicks get massive performance from Jordan Clarkson
The Knicks’ offense struggled once again at the start, and their defense was even worse. New York allowed 41 first quarter points to the team with the second-worst record in the league, and quickly saw themselves trailing by 18 early in the second quarter.
They looked to be stuck in mud, and possibly on their way to a horrific loss at this time of the season. Enter Jordan Clarkson to come save the day. Yes, you read that correctly, Jordan Clarkson.
Clarkson, who has recently re-entered the rotation as head coach Mike Brown looks for an offensive spark, trusted Clarkson in his first game against his former team. The veteran guard delivered his best performance as a Knick at a huge point in the season.
Clarkson scored a season-high 27 points off the bench on incredible shooting numbers of 10-for-15 from the floor and 3-for-5 from three. Notably, he secured five offensive rebounds, most of which were massive swing plays that kept the momentum on the Knicks’ side.
Should Clarkson re-enter the rotation fully?
That rebounding effort won him his first Defensive Player of the Game honors by Brown. His impact was felt all over the floor with his hustle plays and his hot shooting, and he gave his team a much-needed boost to find a rhythm and walk away with a win.
A performance like this will leave the question of should he re-enter the rotation full-time? Clarkson was a regular from the start of the season to the NBA Cup, but quickly fell out of the rotation after struggling badly on both ends of the floor.
But to his credit, Clarkson handled the benching like a pro and always stayed ready, and his performance against Utah is proof of that. The Knicks already have a logjam of guards taking up spots in the rotation, but the idea of Clarkson getting some spot minutes while Miles McBride is still out doesn’t sound like a horrible idea.
Regardless of what happens moving forward, the Knicks can feel good about their depth options providing an impact the minute their name gets called.
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