Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Could Jordan Clarkson Trade Solve Knicks' Bench Scoring Woes?

Originally posted on FanNation All Knicks
By Jonah Morgan | Last updated 1/14/24

Though the New York Knicks have a 6-1 record with OG Anunoby in the lineup, their bench could use a little bit of help on offense with Immanuel Quickley gone.

The defending Sixth Man of the Year Award runner-up was dealt to Toronto in the deal that acquired Anunoby on Jan. 30. Despite their progress, the Knicks have ranked 27th in the NBA in bench scoring in that span at 26.4 per game.

With that in mind, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News listed five potential scorers that could aid the Knicks' offensive depth. The most intriguing has to be Jordan Clarkson, currently of the Utah Jazz and posting some of the best numbers of his lengthy NBA career.

"Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, and Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic have been regularly linked to the Knicks in trade rumors with the deadline mere weeks away," Winfield writes. "A deal for any one of those players will come at the cost of valuable first-round draft pick capital. As it stands, the Knicks have enough draft assets to acquire not just one, but two marquee, star-level players should they become available via trade."

Clarkson is averaging just under 18 points per game this season and a career-best 5.3 assists. He has started in 19 of his 31 games played for the Utah Jazz this season, meaning he can get it done both in the starting lineup and off the bench.

But Miles McBride's performance against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night (19 points on 7-of-10) in place of the injured Jalen Brunson (calf) should give the Knicks a bit of confidence in what they've already got. So the Knicks might have a choice to make in the future to either stay with the players they already have or make a move for a veteran scorer off the bench.

The Knicks will be back in action on Monday against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden (3 p.m. ET, MSG).

This article first appeared on FanNation All Knicks and was syndicated with permission.

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