Utah Jazz stud: Jordan Clarkson
It’s fairly routine for the Utah Jazz that one of either Donovan Mitchell or Jordan Clarkson has a stand-out offensive performance. Any time both do, a Jazz win is almost assured.
We saw that principle in action last night. Clarkson finished with 26 points on 11/18 shooting to go with 5 assists. Efficiency has generally been a problem for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year this season. It was not an issue last night.
Another issue we’ve harped on this year has been his ability to coexist with Mitchell. That also wasn’t a concern against the Bulls. We haven’t been high on Clarkson this season, but we’re happy to give him credit when he deserves it.
His ability to co-exist with Mitchell comes down to floor spacing. Clarkson didn’t provide it last night, going 1/5 from distance. Luckily, Mitchell was on fire. As long as one of them sees their 3 ball dropping consistently, the other can afford a few misses.
Either way, this isn’t (yet another) relitigation on the fit between Mitchell and Clarkson. It’s a celebration of Clarkson’s performance last night. He was the best version of himself, driving for nifty layups after a series of electric dribble moves.
Jordan Clarkson’s talent has never been in question. He’s still shooting 31.8% on 7.7 three-point attempts per game on the season. That’s rough, but it’s an improvement.
With any luck, he’ll heat up just in time for the postseason.