The New York Knicks have been busy ever since they experienced a painful defeat in the Indiana Pacers’ Eastern final.
They fired Tom Thibodeau just a few days later and were about to find a replacement for him soon.
After many failed attempts to poach coaches like Ime Udoka and Jason Kidd, they finally decide to appoint Mike Brown.
On the side, the New York Knicks were also moving in free agency by signing players like Jordan Clarkson and Gashan Yabucere.
Both are quality additions and benefit from playing under two-time Coach of the Year Award winner Brown.
However, analysts say one player in particular is excellent as a Knicks player with Brown as a coach.
Clarkson was successful with the Utah Jazz and won the sixth Man of the Year honor in 2021.
His ability to win the ball and play has helped the Jazz a lot, and those abilities have already been pointed out by Brown.
The former Sacramento Kings coach is known to prefer fast-paced games, and according to Szcerbiak he will really appreciate Clarkson for the same.
Speaking about Brown, Szczerbiak said:
“Mike Brown also loves pace and space, he loves to play fast and loves people who push the ball up to the floor.
Szcerbiak also shared more of his thoughts on how Clarkson could help the Knicks next season.
“Jordan Clarkson, he’s a jet guy, he’s really fast. You can go up and down the floor. He can knock down three people in transitions.
“And he can also put pressure on his defense by reaching the free throw line, so he can become a combo guard, play the ball and run the points, so it doesn’t really help Jaren Branson not have to handle the offense and run the offense,” he added.
Patrick Beverly recently pointed out that Clarkson’s speed is something the Knicks can benefit from.
He averaged 16.2 points for the Jazz last season, shooting 36.2% from the 3-point range.
| season | point | assist | 3 points% |
| 2024-25 | 16.2 | 3.7 | 36.2% |
| 2023-24 | 17.1 | 5 | 29.4% |
| 2022-23 | 20.8 | 4.4 | 33.8% |
| 2021-22 | 16 | 3.5 | 31.8% |
These are big numbers for players coming out of the bench, primarily showing Jalen Brunson getting all the help he needs in the backcourt.
Although things like Cam Payne and Landry Shamet were delivered in several games last season, Clarkson is a consistently offered scorer.
He is 33 years old and has been in the league for 10 years. So adding him to the roster will bring more experience to the Knicks.
They were great last season, but they didn’t have the depth to beat the Pacer. However, with recent additions and the arrival of coach Brown, it appears that the Knicks could become a beat-hit team in the east.