Jordan Clarkson Wants NBA Title, Second Sixth-Man Trophy
Apr 19, 2024, 2:12 PM
Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Now the elder statesman of the Utah Jazz, Jordan Clarkson has a few to-dos left in the NBA before calling it a career.
Though there’s plenty of sand left in Clarkson’s hourglass, the Jazz guard has his eye set on winning an NBA title and adding a second Sixth Man of the Year Award to his resume before time runs out.
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Clarkson Has Eyes On NBA Legacy
While Clarkson has traditionally operated one day at a time, avoiding the type of big-picture talk that can plague an NBA legacy, the 10-year NBA veteran spoke differently after the conclusion of the 2023-24 Jazz season.
“It would be nice to win another Sixth Man of the Year,” Clarkson said. “Win a chip, hopefully, win a championship, compete for something.”
Joe Ingles hands Jordan Clarkson the #KiaSixth Man of the Year trophy 🎶 pic.twitter.com/pamxUATDqb
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 24, 2021
Clarkson is the only player in Jazz history to be named the NBA’s top sixth man, taking home the award in 2021.
That recognition came in the same year that the Jazz finished with the league’s best record, a correlation not lost on Clarkson.
“Those two things sound really, really good because I know I’ll be winning if we’re doing that.”
Only five players in NBA history have won the Sixth Man of the Year Award multiple times, and no player has done it since Lou Williams in 2019.
Having wrapped up his fifth season in Utah, Clarkson is still one of the league’s premiere second-unit players, but saw a dip in his usual production.
The guard’s 17.1 points and 3.4 rebounds were down from last season, as were his efficiency numbers, shooting a career-low 41 percent from the floor and 29 percent from three.
Clarkson led the Jazz in assists at five per game, setting a new career-high, despite a drop in minutes.
With two years and $28 million left on his contract, CEO Danny Ainge said the Jazz would gladly welcome Clarkson back to the team next season.
“We love Jordan’s character and leadership, he loves to play basketball,” Ainge said.
“I think he can be a big help if we improve our team this year — this offseason. As we’ve seen here, he’s a really good player, he can score off the bench, he knows how to play, and he’s been a fantastic player for the Jazz, and we hope he continues to be.”
Clarkson Sees Utah In His Future
Clarkson has been a familiar name in trade rumors over the last several seasons, and could be again this summer amid a loaded Jazz backcourt.
Between Collin Sexton’s breakout season and a strong rookie campaign from Keyonte George, the Jazz could look to move Clarkson to plug holes elsewhere on the roster.
Regardless of whether the fan favorite has played his last game in a Jazz uniform, Clarkson said he sees Utah in his future.
“I’ll probably snowboard, ski, do all that kind of stuff once I’m done,” Clarkson said. “Probably get a Harley Davidson, too, ride around. The highways are nice here.”
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
