Jordan Clarkson's Sudden Knicks Return Will Impact Multiple Players

Leon Rose and the Knicks' front office have spent the last few weeks continuing to fill out the end of their bench. On Thursday, the New York Post's Stefan Bondy reported that Jordan Clarkson would be re-signing with the Knicks on a one-year, $3.9 million contract.

The signing won't have an impact at the top of the roster. Clarkson started in just one game all season long. But the 12-year pro's return could pose some interesting effects on the team's bench.

What Jordan Clarkson's return means for Knicks and their young wings

Last season, Clarkson averaged 17.8 mpg across 72 appearances, yet his role fluctuated.

At times, he was one of the first reserves off the bench. He altered his previously score-first game into a more team-oriented one centered around defensive pressure and offensive rebounding. But Clarkson also saw himself relegated to garbage minutes at times. So what does Clarkson's role look like next season?

With Miles McBride, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado all returning, the bench guard rotation looks crammed already. Instead, Clarkson will likely find his playing time by having the experience edge over the likes of Mohamed Diawara, Tyler Nickel and Pacôme Dadiet.

Diawara, whose rookie year left many fans incredibly excited, averaged 9.2 mpg last year. The Knicks obviously think highly of Diawara as they locked him up before any of their other free agents. But just how committed are they to prioritizing his immediate development?

This is very much a win-now year for the organization, so finding ways to get Diawara more looks isn't of the utmost importance. His lackluster showing in the playoffs doesn't help his case to be put on the fast track; meanwhile, Mike Brown was happy to play Clarkson a steady dose of minutes in the postseason, and the vet even came up big in Game 3 of the Finals with 10 points.

There's also the fact Clarkson didn't shy away from having an inconsistent role. His lack of complaints makes him well-suited to rejoin what will be a similar environment, and his ability to still perform despite stretches of inactivity gives him an advantage over a young player in Diawara who needs more consistency to find his NBA footing.

Clarkson returning to New York likely means one of two things. He was either promised a similar role to last year, which means less available minutes overall for Diawara. Or he was told he'd have to compete with Diawara if he wanted to stick around.

Many are hoping it's the latter. But even if that were to be the case, Clarkson's presence will likely still get in the way of whatever sparring leftover minutes Pacôme Dadiet and Tyler Nickel were going to see.

It's clear Dadiet doesn't have much of a fit with this current team, as his minutes per game actually went down in Year 2 (4.7) compared to his rookie campaign (6.2). The Knicks could reallocate those to Nickel, who's a serious sharpshooting threat off of the bench. But if they're to make Diawara and Clarkson both happy, then it leaves zero room to invest into Nickel or Dadiet as a side project.

By making sure to bring Clarkson back, rather than letting him walk, there has to be some plan to use him. He could've easily walked as a free agent in favor of getting a more lucrative deal or having an even bigger role somewhere else. This signals he's content with what role is being teased for him, which means making sacrifices elsewhere in all likelihood.

Having too many rotation players is far from the worst problem for a coach to face. It's certainly better than not having enough of them.

But there are personal side effects for a few players as a result of Clarkson's return, and most of the potential solutions leave them getting the short end of the stick in favor of a more cherished veteran.

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