Jordan Clarkson proved he was a microwave scorer before he joined the Utah Jazz, but because of them, they turned his bench scoring into something worthwhile. After the Jazz waived him, at first, it appeared they did so at the right time, as he wasn't putting up the same numbers he once did, but the Jazz alum has made up for it by improving his all-around game.
Clarkson has been a factor in the Knicks' playoff rotation in 2026 in part because his defense, rebounding, passing, and energy have all earned him minutes. Feel free to read up on that from Daily Knicks' Dan Favale or The New York Post's Stefan Bondy to learn more.
Watching Jordan Clarkson sprint back full speed in transition defense and hustling the offensive glass playoff basketball is really a different game
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) April 21, 2026
First of all, good for Clarkson for reinventing his game as he's entering the twilight of his career. Jazz fans should be happy for him that he has transitioned smoothly after primarily being a scoring spark in the second unit and not much else.
But it goes without saying that it's worth asking where was this in Utah, man?! The Jazz are grateful that Clarkson stood by the team through thick and thin and had nothing but good things to say about Utah. But they really could have used this back when they were desperate for contributions across the board.
Jordan Clarkson what pic.twitter.com/76AlvtnH0j
— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) April 11, 2026
You can't change the past, but when you see the present, it's hard not to think about what could have been if Clarkson had been this player as a Jazzman.
If Clarkson had this in his game in Utah, maybe the Jazz could have gone further
The downfall of the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert era was that the Jazz struggled to be a good team on both sides of the floor. In the earlier days, their defense anchored their success, but when they tried to fill their offensive void, it came at the cost of their elite defense.
There's a strong argument that all they needed was multi-faceted two-way players to get them over the top. In other words, what Clarkson has done for the Knicks may have been all he needed to do to push the Jazz even further back in the day.
Even more frustrating is to think that the Jazz could have gotten the best of both worlds with the younger Clarkson. Utah could have had a microwave scorer who could do a bit of everything too. He really could have been the difference maker between being a legitimate title contender and a paper tiger.
It's not the worst break the Jazz have had, but it makes such memorable Jazz era remembered even worse, as that team really could have been a Clarkson reinvention from bringing the franchise to heights that rivaled the Karl Malone-John Stockton era.
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