The Utah Jazz granted Jordan Clarkson the chance to play for a contender when they waived him this offseason. Clarkson almost immediately joined the Knicks once he cleared waivers. By doing so, the Jazz not only gave him the chance to contend again, but did something he had wanted to do: play with Jalen Brunson.
During his appearance on Brunson's and Josh Hart's podcast, "Roommates Show," which was reported by The New York Post's Stefan Bondy, Clarkson revealed that while he wanted to play for the Knicks' home crowd, but also added that he wanted to play with Brunson.
“The arena (Madison Square Garden), honestly,” Clarkson said. “Feeling the energy from the fans. Knowing they’re going to let you have it if you’re playing like (expletive). But when you’re playing great, it’s all love. At the end of the day, I just want to feel the energy. Get to play with y’all (Brunson and Hart).”
Brunson himself added that he and Clarkson had discussed teaming up in the past, saying, “I’m not going to say when, but me and Jordan talked about this a while ago.”
Clarkson & Brunson wanting to team up makes sense
At first glance, it may seem like there's a little overlap between Brunson and Clarkson, but it does make sense for why they would want to team up.
Clarkson's and Brunson's careers are somewhat similar in the fact that they turned into two of the more notable second-round draft steals in recent memory because of their abilities to score. Brunson has gone a little further in his career, but the similarities are definitely there, and now they're teammates.
The Jazz alum's past success with someone like Brunson could also factor into why they wanted to play together. Clarkson has seen a fair amount of success playing with scoring guards - see Mitchell, Donovan - and while Brunson might not be the same player as Mitchell, he is of the same caliber.
The Knicks are in prime position to make it to the NBA Finals. The last two Eastern Conference teams to represent it in the NBA Finals are down for the count - the Celtics and Pacers - which opens the door for New York to make it back to their first NBA Finals.
The Jazz gave Clarkson the chance to win a title. It's a shame that Clarkson no longer had the opportunity to do that in Utah, but it is cool to see him get that chance again in the Big Apple and get to team up with someone he wanted to play with in the process.