Jordan Clarkson was brought in to boost the Jazz bench. Boy, has he ever.
It took Jordan Clarkson three games what the rest of the Jazz’s bench couldn’t do in 30: score 20 points. Scoring, of course, is not the only measure of bench success, but it’s not exactly a bad thing, either. And more to the point, it was something that the Jazz’s bench was spectacularly woeful at, being ranked 28th in bench scoring before the deal. Clarkson seems to have rectified that in a single swoop, at least for the time being. His array of drives to the rim, stepback jumpers, and 3-point shots off screens gives the Jazz someone who can score the ball immediately. Joe Ingles thought back to Clarkson’s first game, where he immediately created something that no other Jazz player would have. “The shot clock was under four and he was calling for it! He wanted the ball to create a shot,” Ingles said. “That’s what we need. We needed someone like that.” Clarkson’s teammates remind him of their need for him to be aggressive on a regular basis, something that he says gives him confi...
