6MOY Winner Reveals Career Goals Amid Jazz Rumors

Winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2021, Clarkson has long been one of the better bench scorers, earning three top-7 finishes in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

The first time he garnered recognition as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate came in 2017-18, just his fourth season. Traded by the Los Angeles Lakers midway through the season, he averaged 13.9 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting from the field. With LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Clarkson’s seemingly empty points took on more substance.

It tends to happen that way when players are on playoff and NBA Finals contenders.

To that point, Clarkson also announced his desire to win an NBA championship. This isn’t breaking news, although there are multiple NBA veterans who downplay the significance of winning a ring. Nonetheless, it’s a glimpse at Clarkson’s competitive spirit, one that’s not necessarily displayed on a rebuilding team.

“Hopefully win a championship. Compete for something. All those things, in the back of my mind, are something that I do want to achieve. Those two things sound really good because I know I’ll be winning if we doing that.”

True Love

Directly addressing the possibility that he’s spent his last season with the Jazz, Clarkson says, “Whenever I’m not on the floor.. It ain’t what you wanna be (in). The situation.”

“But I don’t know,” he continues. “Tomorrow is tomorrow. Don’t really look too far forward but I’m here. I love this organization… the state (and) city. I love playing for this team… So, if it is the last, that’s just what it is.”

Clarkson has played for the Jazz since the 2019-20 season, the Cavs trading him for pennies on the dollar.

Last season, he was a full-time starter for the first time since 2015-16, averaging a career-high 20.8 points per game. However, rapidly improving his play recognition and passing ability, Clarkson has proven he’s more than an instinctive scorer the last two seasons. Indeed, the 31-year-old averaged a career-high 5.0 assists per game in 2023-24.

After 305 regular season games and three playoff appearances, Clarkson has played more for the Jazz than he has with either the Lakers or Cavs. In many ways, though it’s his most recent team, it’s the closest thing he’s had to an NBA home. With that said, he truly has love for the organization and community. As a result, if Utah does decide to trade him, it’ll be bittersweet at best.

A necessary sacrifice for a team looking to win its first championship in franchise history.