Jordan Clarkson has always been an exciting offensive player who can dominate games for extended periods of time off the bench.
However, he is set to become something else for the Utah Jazz for the 2024-25 season.
“I’m just trying to put my experience out there for the younger guys,” he told Bleacher Report when asked about taking on more of a veteran leadership role for the upcoming season. “This is the most vocal I’ve been since I started playing in terms of getting as much information to them as possible during the preseason as we prepare for the regular season.” “I’m trying to make everyone ready. This is my first time being one of the senior guys on the team; generally, guys older than me fill that role. But I’m heading into something new. I’m attempting to communicate as effectively as possible with everyone.” Clarkson, who is under contract with the Jazz until 2025-26, is taking on this duty as the team’s longest-tenured player. He formerly played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, but he has been with Utah since December 2019, when he was acquired from Cleveland via trade.
The guard has been through several iterations of the squad, playing alongside Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gobert, among others, but he is now a go-to option on a younger roster.
However, he is not the only viable choice.
Utah’s ceiling is most likely determined by how effectively Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen play together this season. This will be Markkanen’s third season with the team, which allowed him realize the full potential he exhibited with the Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers after being selected seventh overall in the 2017 NBA draft.
Markkanen made his first career All-Star Game in his first season with the Jazz, and he was outstanding again in 2023-24, averaging 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three.
The big man is a double-double danger every time he gets on the floor, and he’s also a walking mismatch due to his ability to score on the blocks and stretch his game beyond the arc. He also draws more defensive attention, making it easier for teammates like Clarkson to get open. “He’s an automatic bucket,” Clarkson explained. “When things get out of whack, we know who to contact. He’s going to grab us an easy one at a fast, efficient pace. For me, seeing his development as an All-Star has been incredible. I’m just delighted to be a part of his process, chatting with him about how to finish games and the various shots he’s taking. “Just having conversations with a guy like that during this growth process is pretty cool.”
Markkanen, Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and John Collins will create headlines in Utah as proven playmakers with known names among NBA fans, but the Western Conference team’s future is also a focus.
After all, Walker Kessler is in his third season, and Keyonte George and Taylor Hendricks are in their second seasons after being selected in the first round. The Jazz also had two first-round picks in this year’s draft, which they utilized on Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier.
As if that wasn’t enough, they drafted Kyle Filipowski in the second round after he was a unanimous All-American and walking double-double threat while at Duke.
“These young guys have been picking up a lot of stuff,” Clarkson added, naming George, Hendricks, Williams, and Collier specifically. “Kyle Filipowski has also been doing quite well. It’s been a pleasure dealing with all of these men because they are so humble and hungry.
Clarkson’s next move in bonding with the young players is to team up with them in Call of Duty.
He collaborated with the video game to promote the October 25 release date of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. While Clarkson hasn’t had the opportunity to mix it up in the game with his current teammates, he stated he still has a Call of Duty group chat with previous colleagues Conley, Mitchell, and Royce.
O’Neale. “This team is super young so I haven’t had as much of a chance to get on Call of Duty with them,” Clarkson told reporters. “On my previous teams, Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, and Kelly Olynyk are the top three guys I played with that are good. Royce O’Neale is also rather solid. But Mike Conley, and Rudy Gobert, are arguably the best. “Those two are among the best teammates I’ve had.”
Clarkson will eventually put his video game abilities to the test against his new teammates away from the court while simultaneously striving to lead them to the playoffs on it.
The 32-year-old has never struggled to score, averaging double-digits in each of his first ten seasons. He has been an offensive sparkplug for the Jazz, averaging 17.7 points per game during his time in Utah.
During his first full season with the squad in 2020-21, he demonstrated a willingness to make an impact off the bench, earning him the Sixth Man of the Year award. He finally became a full-time starter in 2022-23, scoring a career-high 20.8 points per game.
Clarkson started 19 of 55 games last season, demonstrating his versatility as someone who can attack off the dribble and hit from the outside. He will need to be a high-volume scorer once more if the Jazz are to surprise and rebound from two consecutive playoff-less seasons in a strong Western Conference.
“Winning another Sixth Man of the Year would be nice,” he told me. “But a big goal for me is to help these young guys advance as quickly as possible and help us win games.” We don’t want to be a losing club, and the faster these younger guys play and figure things out, the faster we’ll move. To win.” That is undoubtedly what Jazz supporters want to hear as the team strives to strike a balance between a future-focused mindset and a desire to compete in 2024-25.
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