The New York Knicks signed standout free agent Guerschon Yabusele to a two-year deal and are expected to add Jordan Clarkson after he was bought out by the Utah Jazz.
The New York Knicks might not have a longtime head coach, but they managed to bolster their depth, signing power forward Guerschon Yabusele from the Philadelphia 76ers and picking up Jordan Clarkson after he was bought out by the Utah Jazz.
Under former head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks were long criticized for not using their bench. In Thibodeau’s defense, Miles McBride was his best bench player for much of last season.
With a new coach in Mike Brown and two high-level bench players, the Knicks should be able to improve significantly, although their skipper is yet to be determined.
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty ImagesYabusele and Clarkson praised as ‘budget’ fits
Clarkson will be signed to a veteran minimum, and Yabusele signed a two-year, $12 million deal, which doesn’t exactly break the bank.
In Yabusele, the Knicks get a physical, hard-nosed defender, and in Clarkson, they get a shoot-first guard who can stuff the stat sheet. Both are solid 3-point shooters and will round out a bench with McBride, Mitchell Robinson, and whichever starter remains on the floor for longer stretches.
“Those are two guys on a team that wasn’t very deep last year, adding two rotation players that should give the next coach some options,” opined Brian Windhorst.
While the Knicks did not enter the offseason with much financial flexibility, neither Clarkson nor Yabusele commanded much salary, allowing the Knicks to round out their roster if needed.
However, Clarkson has spent the last five and a half seasons on the Utah Jazz, which have tanked away their last three seasons. As a result, he has not met the 65-game threshold since 2022.
“I liked the budget bench upgrades,” said Tim MacMahon, before expressing some concern.
“I don’t know what Clarkson has, he’s been in an impossible situation the last couple of years in Utah last year, they kept on telling him his toe hurt.”
Clarkson and Yabusele address key needs for Knicks
While the Knicks could sum up their biggest offseason need as simply “depth,” Clarkson and Yabusele offer a little bit more than that.
Last season, the Knicks ranked 27th in 3-point attempts per game and were 24th in rebounding, despite employing Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the best rebounders in the league.
Both Yabusele and Clarkson are trigger-happy shooters, and Yabusele adds some size and physicality to the frontcourt.
“He can hold up inside as a four, and playing him next to Mitchell Robinson, I think in particular, is a really nice fit for the Knicks coming off the bench,” said Tim Bontemps of the Frenchman.
“And this is a team that we especially saw at times in the playoffs, they would really struggle to get up 3s. They don’t have a lot of guys who take a ton of 3s.
“Normally, these guys will both come in and shoot the ball pretty consistently from deep. I mean, Jordan Clarkson has always been a guy who’s gotten, you know, four or five, six, seven 3s up a game.”
With Mike Brown calling the plays and enjoying more options than Thibodeau ever did, the Knicks could take a step forward this season.