The New York Knicks entered the season hoping to strengthen their second unit with the additions of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency, but the early results have been underwhelming, according to Bridget Reilly of The New York Post.
Yabusele, who joined the Knicks on a two-year, $11.3 million deal after a productive season in Philadelphia, has struggled to find his rhythm.
The French forward has averaged just 2.0 points per game while shooting 23.1% from the field (3-for-13) over his first four appearances.
After sitting out one game with a knee sprain, Yabusele logged only three minutes in Friday’s loss to Chicago and did not play at all in the second half.
“He may play a whole bunch of minutes at times, he may play a few, he may not play at all,” head coach Mike Brown said when asked about Yabusele’s role. “And that’s part of what our guys have to accept before we figure out what we want to do.”
Meanwhile, Clarkson has also struggled to make an impact. The 33-year-old guard is averaging career lows across nearly every major statistical category and has seen his minutes decline as Brown appears to favor Landry Shamet.
Reilly reports that Brown “pushed to keep” Shamet after he impressed during training camp on a non-guaranteed deal.
“I guess it’s a whole new learning for me,” Clarkson said. “New coach, new system, new team. Just trying to pick up on everything I can.”
Reilly notes that New York’s bench issues extend beyond just Yabusele and Clarkson, but their early-season struggles have certainly contributed to the Knicks’ lack of consistency through five games.
Knicks Notes: Bench, Adversity, Robinson, Donovan https://t.co/Ic409DaLUz pic.twitter.com/oM3jsO53SQ
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