The Utah Jazz fell to 3-10 after losing to the Los Angeles Clippers the other night. The Jazz gave some reasons to look at the glass half full. What looked like a routine blowout turned into a nail-biter by the end (somewhat). And that wouldn't have happened without the efforts of Jordan Clarkson.
Clarkson put up 21 points on seven-for-17 shooting from the field, which is not too far off from a typical Jordan Clarkson performance. However, that doesn't tell the whole story. Clarkson shot zero-for-five from the field in the first half, then shot seven-for-12 in the second.
In fact, most of the damage Clarkson did was in the fourth quarter, where he shot five-for-eight from the field along with four free throws. It wasn't a coincidence that the Jazz started coming back just as he started heating up.
Clarkson showed both his qualities and his shortcomings against the Clippers. One can argue his off-game was what led to the Jazz falling behind as much as they did in the first place just as one can argue they only got back into the game because of him.
It was the perfect storm of an audition tape for a team that could absolutely use him in their playoff push.
The Clippers make sense as a trade destination for Clarkson
There were some concerns about the Clippers at first, which could have been concerning for the Jazz, but they have managed well without Kawhi Leonard. Something that they could use is a bench scorer.
The Clippers' second unit scoring could use some extra juice. Since Norman Powell no longer commands that unit, the Clippers' bench averages 33.3 points per game, which is good for 18th overall in the NBA, per NBA.com. Clarkson, by himself, could change that.
The Jazz have one of the best second units in terms of scoring, averaging 43.1 points per game, which is good for third overall in the NBA. Clarkson of course has a lot to do with that as he's still putting up the numbers he usually does.
Basketball isn't played in a vacuum, but Clarkson would give their offense is a little extra juice, which is what they need to keep their playoff aspirations strong as they manage without Leonard. Better yet, the Clippers could simply take him by giving away players that aren't even in the rotation.
The Clippers have PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland, who make $15.6 million combined. Trading that for Clarkson, who makes $14 million, would help the Clippers save money and add another facet to their rotation.
Clarkson showed how impactful he can be, both negative and positive, against the Clippers. While they could look at better options, there might not be one out there who would help and come at a cheaper cost than Clarkson himself.