Jordan Clarkson Slipping Into Knicks Obscurity Despite Finals Berth

The Knicks' bench came roaring back to life in Game 4 with the Cavs on the brink of elimination on Monday night. Mitchell Robinson was a force on the boards after a few off nights, Miles McBride found his stroke that had eluded him recently, and Landry Shamet dazzled as a star sixth man.

Notably, Jordan Clarkson was absent until garbage time in the fourth quarter on Monday night. He didn't play well, either, putting a disappointing cap on an ugly series for the veteran.

Now, Mike Brown has to at least toy with the idea of Clarkson riding the bench in the Finals given his current state and the bench's revival.

Jordan Clarkson's Knicks role in danger as they determine best Finals rotation

Clarkson has several factors going against him being a featured member of the Knicks' rotation in the NBA Finals. At the top of the list is Shamet, rebounding from his dire start to the playoffs to become a force among the reserves.

His turnaround started against the 76ers, as he logged 15 and 12 points in the closing two games with a remarkable 6-of-9 effort from deep. This rhythm carried right over to the Cavaliers matchup, with Shamet knocking down 11 of his 12 three-point attempts.

Even if the one outing (Game 2) he didn't make a three, the wing still found a way to contribute, corralling four rebounds and nabbing a steal.

SHAMET WAS ON FIRE IN THE EAST FINALS 🔥

HE WENT 11-FOR-12 FROM 3 🤯

New York punches their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999! pic.twitter.com/AoGQ5yi410
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2026

It's no surprise this directly coincided with the minutes uptick for Shamet, who averaged 19.8 mpg during the conference finals -- way up from 14.3 against Philly and just 9.0 versus Atlanta.

That playing time has to come from somewhere on the bench, considering how incredible New York's starters have been, and Clarkson has suffered greatly as a result. After recording a measly three points in 16 minutes in Game 1, the former Sixth Man Award winner logged seven, three, and nine minutes over the next three contests.

This was a major departure for a trusted part of the rotation who was above double-digit playing time in every game of the first round. However, the seeds for this reduction were planted in the Sixers series, with Clarkson averaging just 10.8 mpg while going under 10 minutes in two of four games.

Even worse for the vet's outlook from here, he didn't respond in a promising manner to his scaled-back usage. In Games 2 through 4, Clarkson remained a minimal scoring threat with just seven total points. And the rebounding he's been praised for embracing during his career reinvention was absent, as he secured just one rebound over the last three Cavs matchups.

It's hard to ignore that Brown didn't play Clarkson at all on Monday until the fate of the game was sealed. That's a clear signal he doesn't trust or value the vet's current contributions enough to warrant playing time when it really matters.

The wing had a chance to change some minds on the sidelines with the fourth quarter being almost entirely garbage time. Yet he was dismal against the Cavs' reserves, going 1-of-6 from the field and 1-of-4 from deep.

Jordan Clarkson vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 5/25/2026

3 PTS | 1-6 FG | W 130-93 pic.twitter.com/SxHNK2Q39z
— NBA Shooting Audit (@NBAShotAudit) May 26, 2026

Clarkson isn't a stranger to being in and out of the Knicks' rotation this season. But fresh off a dud in Game 4, a poor series overall, and a player in Shamet filling Clarkson's role even better than the latter can, there's little going his way in terms of wiggling his way back in.

With four wins being all that's left for a championship, the Knicks can't afford to put a player on the court who's not at his best right now. That likely leaves Clarkson in an only-if-necessary role while Shamet, Robinson, McBride and even Jose Alvarado make up the preferred bench options in the Finals.

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