Jordan Clarkson Talks Jazz Reunion, Plans For Asia Cup This Summer
Jordan Clarkson is set to face off against his former team on Wednesday as the Knicks take on the Jazz, and despite his reduced role in New York, he’s looking forward to the “happiness and joy” of facing the team for whom he won a Sixth Man of the Year award, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post.
According to Clarkson, he’s not bothered by his inconsistent playing time because the Knicks were up front with him when he signed with them.
“I ain’t coming in expecting anything, honestly,” Clarkson said. “A lot of people made expectations on my arrival and what I can do and what I’ve done my whole career. But not knowing anything, I came here with an open canvas. I just knew one goal and what we wanted to do, and that’s to win.”
Clarkson added that he has nothing but positive feelings about the Jazz.
“That’s a home for me. I loved the organization. I love the coaching staff. Yeah, I love the city. All I had was love there,” he said. “… I’m going to try to keep my cool in terms of not feeling [emotional], just all the gratitude and everything that the city is giving me.”
The veteran guard also recently spoke to Mark Medina of Essentially Sports about his hopes to lead Team Philippines in this summer’s Asia Cup.
“For us and for me, not making the Olympics and not fully accomplishing what we want to accomplish in the World Cup,” he said, of what was driving him. “Reaching the goal of having a chance to make the Olympics, I think, is a big thing for me and to represent the country.”
He went on to say he thinks the Filipino team has a good shot at the next Olympics, reiterating his hopes for his own role and the team as a whole.
“We just got to figure out how to mesh the guys together and play the right combinations and figure it out from there,” he said. “We got a lot of talent on the team, from older dudes to younger dudes as well. Hopefully, they let me play as a naturalized player and give me some leeway on things so we can continue to get more talent and we stay loaded.”
With the influx of more players in the league with Filipino heritage, such as Jalen Green (Suns), Dylan Harper (Spurs), and Jared McCain (Thunder), Clarkson hopes that his time with the team can help inspire the next generation and build the program up moving forward.
Injury Notes: Antetokounmpo, Prince, Young, Hart
Playing on Tuesday in just his fourth game since January following a lengthy absence due to a calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points against Phoenix, but gave fans a scare or two when he appeared to tweak that troublesome calf. After the game, head coach Doc Rivers spoke about the injury, saying the calf wasn’t affected and that the incidents weren’t as bad as they initially appeared, as Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes (Bluesky link).
“I was scared,” he said, per The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link). “The one time he went down in the first half, he said he was fine, he just tripped over a guy’s foot, so there was no injury. And then he got hit in the groin. And I’m thinking that’s a calf, the way he went down… and then he was just winded.”
Antetokounmpo ended up playing 32 minutes in the loss, his highest minutes total since January 23.
We have more injury news from around the league:
- Bucks forward Taurean Prince, who has been out since November after undergoing surgery to address a herniated disk in his neck, returned to action on Tuesday. “It’s cool because, honestly, I didn’t think he’d play this year,” Rivers said, per Nehm (via Twitter). “The fact that he’s worked the way he’s worked to get back on the floor, it’s just all about him and who he is. It really is. It’s really a cool thing.” The Bucks’ head coach went on to elucidate how important Prince’s presence was throughout the season, even when he was hurt. “When he got injured, we grabbed him and told him, ‘Welcome to the coaching staff’ because that’s basically what he was gonna be this year,” the coach said. “And early on, it did look like that. He was in a brace, couldn’t really do anything. And then as his neck started healing, hope came.”
- Wizards guard Trae Young missed Tuesday’s against the Heat, which turned out to be a historic contest, due to knee injury management, the team tweeted. Young recently returned to play for Washington after speculation that he would miss the rest of the season following his trade from the Hawks. He has yet to play more than 20 minutes in a game for Washington.
- Josh Hart is being listed as questionable for the Knicks‘ game against the Jazz on Wednesday due to left knee soreness, Steve Popper notes (Twitter link). Hart has suited up for the last 15 Knicks games, and while he’s averaging just 28.7 minutes per game, he is coming off one of his heaviest workloads of the season, playing nearly 37 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Clippers.
Knicks Notes: Bridges, Clarkson, Diawara, Turnovers
Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has continued to be an iron man since arriving in New York, but has struggled at times with his offensive consistency. This was exemplified in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, as Bridges went scoreless for the first time this season and the third time since joining the team in 2024, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
According to Bridges, while his lack of offensive production was glaring, it stemmed from defensive issues.
“Being in foul trouble takes me away from being out there to try to help my team win,” he explained. “I’ve got to be better, starting off the game fouling a shooter from three.”
Bridges had hoped Monday’s game against the Clippers could serve as a bounce-back opportunity, but the team lost again and Bridges once again struggled to impact the game offensively, scoring seven points on eight shots. The lone starter not to score in double digits, he didn’t make a shot until midway through the second quarter.
However, head coach Mike Brown had Bridges’ back after the game, according to Bondy.
“He’s human and he’s going to have some nights (when he struggles to shoot),” Brown said. “His track record shows that he can go get it done. It’s not anything I’m concerned about or I’m looking at. And like I said, when he does have nights like that, how else can you impact the game, and he’s shown that he can do that.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- With his team struggling to put together any offensive rhythm against the Lakers, Brown turned to Jordan Clarkson in the fourth quarter. Clarkson played 10 minutes, his highest single-game total since February 11, and scored nine points on four shots. “He’s a guy we can lean on. He can put the ball in the hole,” said Brown, as relayed by Bondy. “We were struggling to do that. So I threw him out there to see if we can mix it up. He definitely helped us. But it was too big of a deficit.”
- Clarkson will face off against the Jazz, with whom he played for five and a half seasons, on Wednesday, but is unsure what reaction he will receive, or what he will feel himself, Mark Medina writes in an interview for Essentially Sports. “I don’t know what my emotions are going to be,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to try to keep my cool.” While the veteran guard’s role has changed with the Knicks, he has stayed ready and his teammates have appreciated his attention to detail and professionalism. “Being a teammate of his has been great,” Jalen Brunson said of Clarkson. “Being able to talk to him all the time and consistently has been great for me. I love him and everything that he’s done.“
- Mohamed Diawara grew up hearing all about the Clippers’ Nicolas Batum, another lanky French forward who could shoot and pass well for his size, Bondy writes in a separate story. On Monday, the Knicks’ rookie got the first poster dunk of his career, and it just so happened to be on his fellow Frenchman. “I was just driving and dunked the ball and fortunately (Batum) was there,” Diawara said. “… Funny to see that. My first dunk — my first poster — was against him.” Diawara finished the game with five points, four rebounds, and two assists.
- Brown was frustrated by what he calls “self-inflicted wounds,” especially on the offensive end, as the Knicks lost their two games in Los Angeles, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. New York turned the ball over 19 times against the Lakers and 20 against the Clippers as their offense felt largely out of sorts. “[Nineteen] turnovers on the road, and this is not a knock on [the Lakers], but they’re not gonna trap and double team and all that stuff,” Brown said after the first loss. “But we get into the paint and jump in the air and turn the ball over.” Brunson noticed similar issues on Monday, Bondy notes. “We were getting downhill and trying to make plays. But we got to be better playing off two feet obviously, playing more controlled,” Brunson said. “But (the Clippers) got a lot of guys on their team who are steal guys, who are long wingspans, play passing lanes. That’s what they do. We played to their strengths.”
Victor Wembanyama, Tyler Herro Named Players Of Week
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama and Heat guard Tyler Herro have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league (Twitter links). The weekly award covers games played from March 2-8.
Wembanyama averaged 26.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game as San Antonio went 4-0 last week. It’s the second weekly award this season for the former No. 1 overall pick and the third of his career.
The Player of the Week honor continues an impressive run of award recognition for Wembanyama, who last week was named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month and Defensive Player of the Month for February.
Herro averaged 26.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7 percent from three-point range as Miami also went 4-0 last week. This marks Herro’s second career Player of the Week award and his first of the season. He has been limited to just 20 appearances so far due to injuries but has been highly productive when available, averaging 22.1 PPG on .500/.402/.917 shooting.
Devin Booker (Suns), Luka Dončić (Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Bam Adebayo (Heat), Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jalen Johnson (Hawks) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) were also nominated in the East.
Eastern Notes: Bucks, Powell, Brunson, Johnson
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers shuffled his lineup and it worked on Saturday, as the team ended a four-game losing streak with a 113-99 win over Utah. Giannis Antetokounmpo was joined in the starting five by Ryan Rollins, Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Ousmane Dieng, Eric Nehm of The Athletic notes (Twitter links).
“I love the starters because of our size,” Rivers said. “I loved how we played the first seven minutes of the game. The ball just flew up the floor.”
Cam Thomas only saw six minutes of action off the bench, his lowest single-game total since joining the Bucks.
“Tonight wasn’t the night,” Rivers said. “And we’ve got a lot of guys that can play.”
Antetokounmpo sat out Sunday’s game against Orlando.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- While the Nets were pulling off a stunning comeback at Detroit on Saturday, Drake Powell was in the G League with the Long Island Nets. C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News notes that over his last 17 NBA appearances, Powell has averaged just 5.2 points in 19.1 minutes per game, and his efficiency dropped to 35.4 percent from the field and 20.9 percent from deep. Powell was recalled by Brooklyn on Sunday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.
- Jalen Brunson‘s shooting numbers have dipped as of late, but the Knicks floor leader has become a high-volume and highly composed facilitator during that stretch, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. Entering Sunday, Brunson had racked up three consecutive double-digit assist games. He had seven assists on Sunday against the Lakers but also committed seven turnovers. He has shot 36.2 percent from the field in five March games. “He’s taking what the defense is giving him,” coach Mike Brown said. “They’re switching, they’re blitzing, they’re trying to throw the kitchen sink at him. And he’s doing a great job of getting off [the ball and passing].”
- The Hawks won their sixth straight on Saturday, thanks to Jalen Johnson. He scored nine of his 35 points in the fourth quarter of a 125-116 win over Philadelphia. He added 10 rebounds and seven assists. “I think I’m always locked in,” he told Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Yeah, I’m always locked in. I mean, obviously, you get in when the momentum’s high, you’re on a run and stuff like that, emotions are running much higher than they are at the beginning of the game. So maybe the emotions piece of it looks locked in more.”
Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Dadiet, Towns, Road Trip
The Nuggets bring out the best in OG Anunoby. The Knicks forward had a career-high 40 points against Denver last season and followed that up with a 34-point outburst on Friday in a 142-103 romp. Anunoby also had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“He’s playing powerful,” head coach Mike Brown said of Anunoby, per James Edwards III of The Athletic. “He’s making quick decisions and touching the paint. He’s knocking his shot down. And then, defensively, he’s just on another level. If he keeps that up, that’s Defensive Player of the Year-type stuff — for sure first-team All-Defense. He’s guarding point guards, and then, I don’t know how many times (Nikola) Jokic won MVP, he’s guarding him. And then he’s guarding everyone in between. It’s been phenomenal and fun to watch because he can do a lot.”
Anunoby is in the second year of a five-year, $212.5MM contract.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Second-year player Pacome Dadiet scored 11 points in nine minutes of garbage time on Friday. Dadiet, a 2024 first-rounder, has spent most of his young career in the G League. “He’s been playing well in the G League and shooting the mess out of it,” Brown said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “And he’s got great size. He’s young. And we want him to keep growing and developing. Any time young guys like that see the ball go in and do those things on the floor in an NBA game, it helps with the belief. It helps not only in them believing and their confidence level going up, but also their teammates, too.”
- The Knicks need Karl-Anthony Towns to play like an All-Star in order to make a deep playoff run. He’s shown signs of finishing the season strong, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Since the All-Star break, Towns has averaged 19.1 points on 60.9 percent shooting (48.1 percent on threes) and 11.7 rebounds per game. “Just trying to be the best player I can be in my role,” Towns said. “I wanna be a star in my role, and I’m just focusing every day on doing that and impacting winning. … That’s what I wake up every day thinking about for this team — how can I impact winning and be a star in my role?”
- The Knicks continue their five-game road trip with back-to-back games against the Los Angeles teams on Sunday and Monday. They are 17-14 in road games this season.
And-Ones: Beasley, FIBA, 2026 Draft, More
A federal judge in New York has found former NBA sharpshooter Malik Beasley liable for $1MM in damages (plus interest) to be paid to Hazan Sports Management, the agency that previously represented him, according to David Purdum of ESPN.
The agency filed a lawsuit earlier this year seeking $2.25MM in damages and legal fees for breach of contract. Hazan Sports alleged in that suit that Beasley left the agency in February 2025 without paying back a $650K marketing advance.
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas wrote in her ruling that “no objections have been filed and no request for an extension of time to object has been made” by Beasley. According to Purdum, the suit doesn’t list an attorney for Beasley.
Beasley finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2024/25 and appeared poised to land a lucrative multiyear deal in free agency. However, his contract negotiations ended when word broke that federal investigators and the NBA were investigating him due to possible connection to illegal betting activity. The veteran wing signed last month with Cangrejeros de Santurce, a Puerto Rican team owned by Bad Bunny, as he awaits clarity on his NBA future.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- FIBA has reached an agreement on a broadcasting deal with TNT Sports that will give the network the rights to several international basketball competitions, including the 2026 women’s World Cup in Germany and the 2027 men’s World Cup in Qatar, according to a press release.
- In his latest preview of the 2026 NBA draft, Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com explores one big question facing each of the top nine prospects on his board, including how real Kingston Flemings‘ shooting improvements are and whether Tennessee’s Nate Ament can make a leap as a shot creator.
- ESPN’s Tim Bontemps shares his “all-contract team” for the 2025/26 season, building the best possible 15-man roster without exceeding the salary cap and without selecting any players on maximum-salary, minimum-salary, or rookie scale contracts. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson are among Bontemps’ headliners.
- One month removed from this year’s trade deadline, Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports checks in on the early returns of some of February’s biggest deals, noting that Cavaliers guard James Harden, Thunder guard Jared McCain, Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu are some of the players off to strong starts with their new teams.
Knicks Notes: Brown, Starters Minutes, Bridges, McBride
Knicks head coach Mike Brown received his first technical foul of the season in Wednesday’s three-point home loss to Oklahoma City, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Brown was upset about a non-call with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cut past OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson tried to take a charge (YouTube link).
“You guys saw the play. SGA had two fouls, and Jalen was there, and he ran him over,” Brown said after the loss. “I just don’t understand why that was a no-call, but that should have been his third [foul], the bucket shouldn’t have counted, and we should have gone the other way with the basketball.
“So to see that knowing Jalen is standing there and putting his body on the line, and our guys are fighting our asses off and to try to win the ball game, it didn’t sit well with me.”
For what it’s worth, the official Twitter count of NBA referees explained why the play was not called a charge (Twitter link), stating that Brunson didn’t give Gilgeous-Alexander enough space to avoid contact after receiving a pass outside of the lower defensive box.
According to Vincent Goodwill of ESPN, Brown didn’t use the non-call as an excuse for why the Knicks lost the game. For his part, Brunson said he appreciated his coach having his back.
“I’m going to have his back every single night. He has ours,” Brunson said. “Regardless what he does or techs he gets, I’m going to have his back.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- As Brown planned, all five starters are playing fewer minutes per game in 2025/26, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. None of those five have seen his minutes cut back as drastically as Josh Hart, who led the league with 37.6 minutes per game in ’24/25 and is averaging 30.2 MPG in ’25/26. “It takes a little bit of an adjustment,” Hart said. “I think it also depends on how I’m playing. Games last year, the year before, if there was an 82-game season, you’re bound to have bad games. I think some of those bad games, I shouldn’t [have] played as much. You could’ve went to Landry [Shamet], or more minutes for Cam [Payne], something like that. So this year, it takes a little bit getting used to but you’ve got guys like Landry playing extremely well this season, obviously Deuce [Miles McBride] was playing well before he got hurt, we’ve got Jose [Alvarado]. I’m cool with it. As long as we win, I’m cool with it.”
- It has been an up-and-down season for Mikal Bridges, who has had some big individual games (like Sunday’s victory over San Antonio) mixed in with some forgettable performances (like Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City). As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes, Bridges has very solid counting stats, but for better or worse, the veteran wing is often judged for the opportunity cost it took to acquire him.
- Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) recently provided an update on McBride, who is recovering from surgery for a core muscle injury (sports hernia). “I still think there’s positivity there, things have been going well,” Begley said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to fret or worry about Miles McBride not being back and ready to go for the postseason. That’s the trajectory that I’ve heard about and talked to people about, and I haven’t heard anything different than that.”
And-Ones: Fizdale, Gambling Trial, VanVleet, Extensions
In an appearance on the Run It Back podcast (Twitter video link), David Fizdale claims that he and Knicks management worked out a plan to tank when he was their head coach during the 2018/19 season to improve their chances of drafting Zion Williamson or Ja Morant (hat tip to NJ.com). Fizdale also states that management promised him that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would be joining the team as free agents the following summer.
“The plan that we came up with, I was all in on that, and I was like this is the deal and this is the way to go about it. It just didn’t come to fruition,” Fizdale said. “… Losing all them damn games, donating my record to get Zion Williamson or Ja.”
No part of the strategy worked out, as New York landed the third pick in the draft after going 17-65 and wound up taking RJ Barrett, who was later traded to Toronto. Durant and Irving opted to team up in Brooklyn, believing they had a better shot to win a ring with the Nets instead of the Knicks. Fizdale was fired 22 games into the following season after the team got off to a 4-18 start.
“If I was doing it over again, I would have fought more to build a team early on and not cash in my record,” Fizdale added. “That’s the hard part for coaches when you agree to the … tanking. When you tank, you’re supposed to build something bigger. It’s not supposed to be a tank to whatever happens. … That’s not the formula.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- A federal judge has set a trial date of November 2 for Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones and nearly three dozen co-defendants in a federal gambling case, according to Aaron Katersky of ESPN. A status hearing was held Wednesday at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn, and federal prosecutors and defense attorneys are working out how to handle proceedings with so many defendants. Prosecutors expect to extend plea offers at least 12 defendants over the next few days, and they said nine others are having “productive conversations” about pleading guilty. It’s not clear if Billups and Jones are among that group.
- In addition to working his way back from an ACL tear in his right knee, Fred VanVleet has the responsibilities of running the NBA Players Association. Tania Ganguli of The New York Times talks to VanVleet about getting the players united again after many felt betrayed by the latest collective bargaining agreement, which introduced the apron system.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (subscription required) examines a few players who may receive extensions before reaching free agency this summer, including Trae Young, Keon Ellis and Dean Wade.
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Alvarado, Sochan, Diawara
The load management plan that the Knicks instituted for Mitchell Robinson has been successful so far, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Robinson has already appeared in 44 games, which tops his totals from each of the past two seasons, and he’s on pace for his highest number of games played since 2021/22. Coach Mike Brown credits his medical team for keeping Robinson healthy, along with Robinson himself for being on board with the strategy.
“He’s bought into this plan and he’s tried to execute it at the highest of high levels,” Brown said. “So I give all those guys a ton of credit because I’m just kind of jumping on the bandwagon and following their lead. To see him out there, because the best thing almost anybody can have is their availability, so to see him out there as much as he’s been out there has been really good for us.”
Part of the plan includes not playing Robinson on back-to-back nights, regardless of the circumstances. Brown opted to use Robinson in Tuesday’s win at Toronto rather than saving him for tonight’s game against Oklahoma City, the reigning NBA champs, explaining that he felt beating the Raptors was more important because they’re an Eastern Conference rival, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
Robinson came up limping and grabbed at his ankle after fighting for a rebound in the first quarter on Tuesday, but he told reporters it was nothing serious.
There’s more from New York:
- Speaking to the media before tonight’s game, Brown saluted team president Leon Rose for acquiring Jose Alvarado from New Orleans at the trade deadline (Twitter video link from Ian Begley of SNY.tv). Alvarado has been getting regular minutes at backup point guard and is averaging 8.0 points and 4.0 assists in 10 games since joining the Knicks. “I gotta give Leon credit; he went out and got him, ” Brown said. … “The energy on top of the quickness that he brings to the table every time we step on the floor is irreplaceable.”
- It’s been a much different experience for Jeremy Sochan, another recent addition who joined the Knicks after agreeing to a buyout with San Antonio. Limited mostly to garbage time in seven appearances with New York, Sochan told Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express News (subscription required) that he’s still adjusting to his new surroundings. “I’m settling in,” he said. “It’s been chaotic for sure. It doesn’t help that it’s in season, so we’ve been traveling as well. Everyone has been welcoming — the owners and the players and the whole community. Everything has been positive.”
- Mohamed Diawara, the 51st pick in last year’s draft, is the latest in a string of second-round finds for the Knicks, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News observes in a subscriber-only piece. Diawara’s playing time has been modest, but he has impressed the team whenever he’s been given minutes. “First thing I would say is Mo is not afraid. I’ve said this to you guys before, for a young guy, I’ve thrown him out there in games — to start — on national TV, and he didn’t bat an eye,” Brown told reporters after Sunday’s game. “And he might start three games in a row, then he might not play the fourth game, he doesn’t bat an eye. He is the most confident young man I’ve been around.”