End Of Season Evaluation: Jazz SG Jordan Clarkson

We’re a couple of weeks removed from Utah Jazz basketball, and it feels like a good time to go back and grade each Jazzman’s season. While nobody looks at a 51-loss season as some grand success, several players had promising individual campaigns, gave us flashes of a promising future, or some combination of both. Without further ado, we’ll start with the longest-tenured member of the Utah Jazz, Jordan Clarkson.

After returning to the Jazz on a three-year $55 million contract, Clarkson endured an up-and-down season. With averages of 17 points and (a career-high) 5 assists per game, Clarkson was asked to do more than we’d ever seen from him due to the inexperienced cast around him. His passing stood out this year, especially in pockets where the Jazz played well. For a team that lacked individual and collective creation, Clarkson again provided an offensive spark for the Jazz.

After being a full-time starter last year, Will Hardy fiddled with rotations this year, ultimately ending with Clarkson returning to his most suitable role as a sixth man. While nothing massive, Clarkson was more efficient coming off the bench (42% from the floor) than he was as a starter (39.9%), and while still negative (-2.5), his net rating was 8.6 points better in this role.

Since I touched on his efficiency, it was a forgettable year for Clarkson in that department. His true shooting percentage of 52.1% was among the worst in the entire league. Of players who also had a usage percentage over 25, Clarkson trailed only rookie Scoot Henderson in that department. While he’s never been a particularly efficient player, this level of inefficiency is concerning for someone who’s been in the league as long as Clarkson and has the reputation of being a good shooter.

To be fair to Clarkson, the Jazz likely asked too much out of him this year. They came into the year without a true facilitator on the roster. This eventually pushed Keyonte George into that role, but as a rookie learning the position, it put a lot of added responsibility on Clarkson’s plate.

We can’t talk about Jordan Clarkson’s season and not address the curse that he broke this season. On New Year’s Day, Clarkson became the first and only Jazz player to record a triple-double since Carlos Boozer did so in 2008. This was easily one of the most exciting and memorable things that happened this year, and it’s fitting that a fan favorite in Clarkson could do so.

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