Jordan Clarkson Responds to Diminishing Knicks Minutes

The‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ New York Knicks have managed to find different ways of winning this season, however, a recent incident on social media has revealed some of the frustrations veteran guard Jordan Clarkson is feeling behind the scenes.

This past weekend, Clarkson got into a heated argument with fans on Twitter, as recapped by the New York Post Sports, which quickly went viral before he deleted several posts. The exchanges showed how deeply he was upset with the drastic reduction of his role since he came to New York Knicks.

Although the exact tweets have been removed from his timeline, the harm was already done, giving a rare public view of how a veteran scorer is having a hard time with the limited minutes and an uncertain position in the ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌rotation.

Strained Relationship? Past Moments of Tension

Clarkson recently acknowledged the adjustment has been anything but smooth, according to Stefan Bondy.

“For me, it’s just been fluctuation of play, really. In and out the lineups. DNPs. Sometimes you’re getting five minutes in the game, here and there,” Clarkson said, underscoring how inconsistent opportunities have defined his season.

He also pointed to the challenge of adapting on both ends of the floor.

“It’s not like I’m featured in the offense or anything. I’m playing hard, I’m crashing the glass, figuring out different things – little things to be effective on that end,” Clarkson added.

Jan 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson (00) drives to the net against Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead (23) during the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The veteran described the experience as “a whole new thing,” offering rare insight into the balancing act he’s navigating within the Knicks’ evolving rotation. The statistics show a very reasonable answer for these questions.

In the 2024-25 season with the Utah Jazz, Clarkson played 37 games and averaged a strong 16.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, showing the type of offensive spark and consistent bench

On the contrary, this season with the Knicks, he has experienced a considerable decrease in his statistical output. If we look at the current 2025-26 regular season, Clarkson is averaging about 9.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, and similarly, his playing time has also been greatly cut down compared to the previous year.

His recent output shows the shrinking trend. Over his last 10 games, he’s averaging only about 15.6 minutes and 6.6 points, with modest rebounds and assists, significantly below his career norms.

Certainly,‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ this inconsistency sets a perfect stage for his public outburst. When a player who had a significant scoring role last season sees that attention decrease with his minutes and touches, it is naturally going to cause a conflict between the player's personal expectations and his team.

How the Alvarado Trade Could Impact Rotation

Things‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ got even more complicated when the Knicks decided to trade guard Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans just before the trade deadline.

Alvarado, who is putting up roughly 7.9 points, 3.1 assists and almost three rebounds in 21.9 minutes of play per game this season, adds more depth to the backcourt and competitive pressure for minutes.

Coach‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Mike Brown is now having to figure out rotations that feature Landry Shamet, Alvarado and Tyler Kolek, along with bench scoring and defensive needs.

How Brown does this could be the deciding factor in how much the veteran guard will get playing time going forward, and whether this latest incident will just be a thing of the past or a sign of deeper roster management problems.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!