[ad_1]
Jordan Clarkson stands still. The microwave guard signed a four-year contract with the Jazz on Friday, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Clarkson’s deal will be worth $ 52 million. Utah acquired the hitter from Cleveland in a midseason trade. Clarkson scored 15.6 points per game for the Jazz in a bench role, shooting a solid 36.6% from three. Let’s rate the deal.
Grade B
This is the current rate for a Clarkson-type bench scorer. Your ability to warm up will give you courage for your entire career. While Utah struggled defense with Clarkson during the postseason, he will absorb valuable minutes throughout the year. The Jazz’s offense was 5.8 points per 100 possessions better with Clarkson on the court in 2020, according to Basketball Reference. The 28-year-old also shot a fairly robust 40.2% on catch-and-shoot 3s, though he doesn’t usually play off the ball.
For Clarkson, the four years offer good security after a few rebounds in the last three seasons. The risk from the team’s point of view is that Utah relies on its defensive identity, and Clarkson doesn’t help much in that regard. He’s incredibly valuable on the bench, but if he’s ever asked to move into the starting lineup, he’s not a perfect fit with Donovan Mitchell. It prevents the signing from being without a doubt a home run, but it is far from problematic. The Jazz struggled a lot in their first-round series against the Nuggets, but it’s fair to note that the team was better at 12.6 points per 100 possessions with Clarkson on the bench.
Ultimately, the Jazz kept a player entering his prime who has shown significant scoring potential. Regardless of how the lineup is set up around Mitchell for years to come, the bank will have at least one collaborator who will work on any system.
More free agency ratings:
[ad_2]