{"id":203106,"date":"2025-10-05T09:26:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T09:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/203106\/"},"modified":"2025-10-05T09:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T09:26:08","slug":"jordan-clarkson-confident-he-can-become-key-contributor-for-knicks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/203106\/","title":{"rendered":"Jordan Clarkson confident he can become key contributor for Knicks"},"content":{"rendered":"

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 A fun and probably unique fact about new Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson: He was teammates with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant after he was named after Michael Jordan.<\/p>\n

And while he might possess some of their confidence, Clarkson, unlike that unmatched trio of basketball superstardom, comes off the bench while specializing in fitting into a dynamic \u2014 rather than dominating it like the Kobes or LeBrons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be able to fit anywhere. Put me anywhere in the world and I\u2019ll be good,\u201d Clarkson said in an interview with The Post. \u201cI think that\u2019s just me. No matter where you put me, I\u2019ll accept it for what it is. I enjoy the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clarkson did that in Cleveland, where he joined a team that had advanced to three straight Finals and helped them get to another. <\/p>\n

He did that in Utah, where he joined a roster that had finished fifth in the West and helped them reach No. 1 within two seasons.<\/p>\n

Now, with the Knicks, he\u2019s coming off the bench for a team with championship aspirations after its run to the 2025 conference finals. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a welcomed development after Clarkson\u2019s last two seasons with the Jazz, which were defined by his DNPs and lots of losing. <\/p>\n

He wants back in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\"JordanJordan Clarkson, who scored seven points, drives to the basket during the Knicks\u2019 113-104 preseason win over the 76ers on Oct. 4, 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something you chase. That\u2019s a different high, man, if you want to put it like that,\u201d said Clarkson, who scored seven points in the Knicks\u2019 113-104 preseason win over the 76ers<\/a> on Saturday. \u201cThe level of detail, every play matters. I really want to get back there and I want for sure to take every step day to day, but Coming here, one of the reasons why is I wanted to compete in the playoffs and be on a winning team that\u2019s playing for something,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Still, there are questions about whether Clarkson has fallen off at 33 and after two lost seasons. <\/p>\n

Those won\u2019t be answered until much deeper into the regular season, and the two preseason contests here \u2014 victories over the Sixers \u2014 provided glimpses of the good and bad. <\/p>\n

\"JordanJordan Clarkson looks to drive on Jabari Walker during the Knicks\u2019 preseason win over the 76ers. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u200aHe shot just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, including an air ball in Game 1, without much hesitancy to launch the next one.<\/p>\n

\u200aThe aggressiveness and confidence worked on 2-pointers, of which Clarkson converted at a 63 percent rate.<\/p>\n

He broke down the defense twice Saturday for highlight assists to Mitchell Robinson.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s committed three turnovers in 28 combined minutes.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s happening on and off the Garden court\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

It figures to be an up-and-down experience with Clarkson, who doesn\u2019t seem to dwell on the previous attempt or his role. <\/p>\n

After all, he signed up for the Knicks in June before knowing who the Knicks were hiring as head coach. Clarkson always believes he\u2019ll fit in, regardless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like they were shipping out the whole team and starting over,\u201d Clarkson said. \u201cSo being familiar with the guys [on the Knicks], that kind of made the decision for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always look at the brighter side of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates \u2014 A fun and probably unique fact about new Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203107,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[32315,355,361,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-203106","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-jordan-clarkson","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-new-york-knicks","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203106\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}