Jordan Clarkson breaks into the Top 20 of shooting guards

The Utah Jazz are seeing Jordan Clarkson get some love, but is it enough?

Jordan Clarkson is going to be a key player for the Utah Jazz this season. One way or another. Either he’s going to be a 20-point per-game scorer as a starter/sixth man, or he’s going to be a viable trade piece in a blockbuster trade. There really isn’t a third option.

Clarkson’s value as a starter isn’t lost on Jazz fans’, they’ve seen what he can do for the squad since arriving here from the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2019-2020 season. Since arriving, he’s won a Sixth Man of the Year award, and became a starter this past season, dropping nearly 21 points per game.

The man can score, but can he score enough to break into the Top 20 shooting guards? Well, according to Hoops Hype, yes. Clarkson nabbed the No. 18 spot on the list, and honestly, considering who’s ahead of him, that’s a bit low.

Right at No. 17 is Jordan Poole, a joke of a selection if there ever was one. Then there’s Jalen Williams, a good guard and a rising star in the league, but this isn’t a list about the upside. Clarkson is better than Williams. Jalen Green, one of the least efficient scorers in the NBA, somehow came in at No. 11.

Apparently, a steady diet of empty stats is good for the brand.

You can easily make a case that Clarkson is Top 15, at least, in the NBA when it comes to the shooting guard position. There are names ahead of him that may be better, like Austin Reeves, and Anfernee Simmons, but they need more time in the league, playing at the level they are, to prove whether they are or not better than Clarkson.

So, while Hoops Hype has Clarkson at No.18, we’re going to think of him as a Top 15 shooting guard, if it’s all the same.

Still, his spot here is higher than it was on The Ringer.