Why New York Knicks’ Jordan Clarkson is due for a big playoff series appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Knicks are playoff-bound. They successfully secured the third seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2026 NBA Playoffs and will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first-round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.. And while Atlanta shouldn’t pose a tremendous threat to New York, the Knicks will still need more offensively than what they have come to expect from Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges if they hope to advance deeper in the playoffs this season—and possibly to get through the Hawks. Fortunately, the Knicks have a secret weapon on their bench, Jordan Clarkson.
Advertisement
It is not at all illogical to expect to see Clarkson change the fortunes of the Knicks in at least one game in the playoffs. Frankly, Clarkson could impact an entire series thanks to his offensive prowess. And that could ultimately help lead the Knicks farther than they’ve been this century, to the NBA Finals.
Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
Clarkson is a veteran guard with a well-documented history of turning into a scoring menace come playoff time. Numbers suggest defenses simply cannot contain him for an entire series. Across 43 career playoff games, Clarkson has averaged 11.7 points per game, a respectable number for a reserve. But averages don’t tell the full story.
Advertisement
When Clarkson gets hot, he gets scorching hot. In a 2021 first-round matchup between the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies, Clarkson averaged 18.6 points per game, and followed that up with 16.7 per game against the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.
The very next year, in the 2022 first round against the Dallas Mavericks, Clarkson averaged 17.5 points per game across six games. That’s three consecutive playoff series in which no opponent could keep him under 16 points per night.
The math here is simple and damning for the Atlanta Hawks, as well as any future Knicks’ opponent. The seven-game series structure provides too many opportunities for Clarkson to catch fire. And history tells us that he is good for at least one outburst every seven games—though minutes matter.
In 2025-26, Clarkson averaged 18.3 points per game when playing more than 30 minutes per game. However, his scoring dropped to 11.5 points per game when playing between 20 and 29, and down to 7.3 when playing between 10 and 19 minutes per game.
Advertisement
Granted. Clarkson hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2022, but he’s scored in double figures in his eight most recent playoff games. And he’s had a few major playoff outbursts, including scoring 26 points in slightly fewer than 29 minutes in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. That caliber player doesn’t suddenly forget how to fill it up when the lights get brighter, especially considering the offensive balance New York has. And he demonstrated that ability this season, as well, scoring 27 points in 26 minutes in mid-March against, ironically, the Jazz.
What makes Clarkson particularly dangerous is his unpredictability. He can go quiet for a stretch of a game (or the season), lulling a defense into a false sense of security, before erupting for a big scoring night in a critical spot. After all, he was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2021, and elite bench scorers like Clarkson have an innate ability to find moments when a defense least expects it.
No team has ever managed to fully neutralize Clarkson across an entire playoff series, and there’s no reason to think anyone will in 2026. The Hawks and other potential Knicks’ opponents should circle his name before beginning a series against them because a big game—or multiple big games— is almost inevitable, assuming he gets the opportunity.
Related: Mike Breen puts NBA on blast for Knicks playoff TV coverage
Related: Knicks superfan Ben Stiller drops bold playoff prediction for Hawks series
Leave a comment