The Athletic has live coverage of Knicks vs. 76ers Game 4 in the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.

PHILADELPHIA — Jordan Clarkson could have taken the easy way out, and no one would have blamed him.

Last offseason, the veteran guard agreed to a buyout with the Utah Jazz, for which he had played since 2019. The goal for Clarkson was to play for a contender. The New York Knicks, with limited financial flexibility and fresh off a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, had room for a veteran-minimum player. A perfect marriage.

Clarkson began the season as a regular contributor for head coach Mike Brown. However, as things progressed, his role diminished. Around the trade deadline, the 33-year-old was barely playing — if at all. It wasn’t exactly how he thought his 12th NBA season would go.

Then, in a time of desperation, in the middle of March, Brown looked to Clarkson for the spark that has become synonymous with his career as a bench scorer. That’s where the story of this version of Clarkson begins.

In a road game against Clarkson’s former Jazz team, the Knicks were down close to 20 to the tanking squad. Brown put in Clarkson, with the nudge of assistant coach Maurice Cheeks, hoping the veteran being back in Utah would spur a change in fortune for the player and his team. Clarkson delivered, but not how you would think if you paid attention to his NBA career.

Yes, he scored 27 points in 26 minutes en route to a Knicks comeback win. That’s the old Jordan Clarkson. However, he also had five offensive rebounds and played suffocating defense. Those weren’t qualities observers attached to the veteran before this night.

This is the player Clarkson is today — gritty, tough and a master of the little things. It’s that mindset that didn’t allow him to consider moving on from New York when he was stuck at the end of the bench.

“Never,” Clarkson said. “I was just going with the flow, staying locked in. I don’t really think too far ahead. Whatever is in the moment is what’s going on.

“I got out the mud, bro. I was a second-round pick, damn near undrafted. I just stick with the grind and stick with the process, try to find ways to impact the game. I only care about winning. I came here for the opportunity to play winning basketball.”

The Knicks’ bench is full of players who got it out of the mud and are a big reason why New York has moved within one win of back-to-back trips to the conference finals. Clarkson, Landry Shamet, Mitchell Robinson and Jose Alvarado all could have been written off at points in their careers. They combined to score 28 points and grab 14 rebounds in Friday’s 108-94 Game 3 second-round victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

New York needed someone to step up with OG Anunoby ruled out due to a hamstring strain. Brown dusted off Shamet, and the veteran guard who made the team in training camp scored 15 points. Clarkson had five rebounds (two of them offensive) to help a Knicks team that had 20 second-chance points. Robinson stepped up with Karl-Anthony Towns again in foul trouble by grabbing six boards and being a deterrent at the rim. Alvarado came in and hit a 3 and was a pest defensively.

The Knicks’ lack of depth was a sore spot during last year’s postseason run and something the front office wanted to change, with both a new coach and revamped roster. During the 2025 playoffs, New York’s bench didn’t outscore a single opponent’s bench. This year, the group has done it five times in nine games.

Brown has cultivated a “stay-ready” environment. Team president Leon Rose did a good job of getting helpful players. Clarkson isn’t the only one who was put on ice only to unthaw later. It happened to Shamet and Alvarado, too.

“As a coach, you love to see it,” Brown said. “That’s why you give different guys opportunities at different times. Sometimes you start Landry, sometimes you start (Mo Diawara), sometimes you start this guy. Hopefully, it shows, coming from me, that I have a confidence in them. And, not only that, your number can be called at any time, so be ready. Our guys have taken that to heart. A lot of good guys who are resilient fighters and done a good job of staying present.”

Clarkson hasn’t left the rotation since that night in Utah, and he’s transformed into a completely different player. He’s one of the best offensive rebounders on New York’s team. He picks up full court and provides physicality defensively. He has been a staple in the Knicks’ postseason run, which includes six straight wins.

Knicks forward Josh Hart, who started his career playing with Clarkson on the Los Angeles Lakers, isn’t surprised.

“He’s an amazing person,” Hart said. “He’s a great character dude and a true professional. We see him out there picking up full court at times, being physical on the perimeter and re-establishing himself in terms of defense. The way he’s able to bring an energy defensively, and he’s one of our best offensive rebounders. It’s amazing to see him change his game and doing his role to the best of his ability.”

Shamet, like Clarkson, could have been ill-prepared for the moment. The shooting guard who has played for six teams in eight seasons was a staple in Brown’s rotation all year, to the point where he felt like the sixth starter. Shamet was shooting the 3-ball at a good clip and was one of the team’s better point-of-attack defenders. Then, in the final weeks of the regular season, Shamet suffered a knee injury that took away his form. He started the playoffs in the rotation but was taken out after Game 2 in Atlanta.

Friday was the first time that Shamet played substantial, meaningful minutes since that night. He responded by outscoring the 76ers’ bench by himself. Shamet was on the Knicks last year but missed a large chunk of the season with a shoulder injury. He suffered a similar injury this season. The 2018 first-round pick has bounced around the NBA trying to find a home, and it appears he’s found one.

“Landry is a true professional,” Mikal Bridges said. “Mentally … not playing, being thrown out there and finishing the game, we talked to him and gave him his dap for what he did. That’s a true professional. He works so hard.”

Alvarado went undrafted out of college and signed with the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-way contract before eventually earning a standard deal. That’s where he spent his entire career before the New York native was traded to the Knicks in February. He was in the rotation upon his arrival and then taken out largely due to his struggles shooting toward the end of the regular season. He didn’t start the playoffs as a go-to guy for Brown but became one when the Hawks had New York’s back against the wall in the first round and the Knicks needed an extra ballhandler and defensive aggravator.

Robinson is New York’s longest-tenured player. He was wearing the blue-and-orange when teams were turning them black-and-blue as one of the worst franchises in basketball. Robinson’s Knicks teams won 38 games over his first two years. That, along with the extensive injury history that has forced him to miss large chunks of several seasons, including last year, could have easily led him down a different path.

Now, the Knicks bench is no longer a barrier between good and great. It’s a catalyst in them becoming, arguably, the most dominant playoff team still standing.

New York has a bench. A real bench. Can you believe it?