The New York Knicks have strengthened their depth with Jordan Clarkson and Gerson Jabsere this offseason, but the players who were once on the roster are much better suited to both ends of the floor.
After losing in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the New York Knicks mostly did not shake the roster.
Instead, they fired manager Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown, who was fired by the Sacramento Kings last season.
While all the stars remained intact, the Fringe role players left the team in free agency and were replaced by Jordan Clarkson and Gershon Yabucele. But one of the previous Nicks would have been an even better fit.
In 2024, to complete the town of Karl Anthony, the Knicks shipped Julius Randle and Sharpshooter Donte Divinsenzo forward to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For weeks last summer, college teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Divincenzo all joined the same NBA team, but New York decided to address the lack of frontcourt scoring and complete the KAT contract.
This deal made them better, but they don’t have a true elite shooter as role players. The town is the only full-time player to shoot over 40% from the Deep, and neither Clarkson nor Yabucere are efficient scorers from the Deep.
“They lack the shooting,” Jeff Teag declared to him. Club 520 Podcast. “Cat is a great shooter. Jalen Branson can make shots. Laundry Shemet, I don’t know if he’ll be on the team next year, but he can shoot it.
Last season, Divincenzo was an underrated defender, shooting 39.7% from the Deep. Teague justly believes that replacing Clarkson with Divincenzo not only great for the team’s chemistry, but also leads to victory.
“If they had Divincenzo, they would be perfect,” he said. “Michal Bridges was like that before, but he took a bit of a shot last year, and that’s dependent on me.”
Last season, the Bridges shot 35.4% from Deep, the lowest mark since his rookie season.
The Timberwolves will clearly not enjoy the straight exchange of Clarkson and Divinsenzo. Clarkson may have a better career, but at this point he is far beyond his prime. That’s not to say he’s not effective, but it’s hard to imagine him playing basketball after six seasons with the Utah Jazz, which includes the last three.
| player | ppg | FGA | FG% | 3pt% | SPG |
| Clarkson | 16.2 | 13.3 | 40.8% | 36.2% | 0.8 |
| pitch | 11.7 | 9.6 | 42.2% | 39.7% | 1.2 |
Clarkson keeps Divincento out with volume scoring, but Divincento is younger, more efficient and has better defenders.
“Jordan Clarkson is what you call a volume shooter,” Teague added. “He’s a microwave type player. If he’s hot, he’s hot. He only shot 42% last year, so in basketball terms, it’s a bit of an A-.”
Crising for a “heart-A-” player as a “heart-” offseason move may not be the best look for the Knicks, but there’s a cast of support featuring Branson and the town two All-Stars, as well as Heart, Bridge and OG Anunoby.