Jordan Clarkson
Birthdate: June 7, 1992 (San Antonio, Texas)
School: Karen Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) Class: 2014 (OFFICIAL) Height: 6'5" Weight: 193 NBA Position: PG NBA Comparison: Tyreke Evans Strengths: Size, Athleticism Weaknesses: Outside Shooting |
Scouting Report 1.0 — 05.15.2014 (Joseph Fafinski)
As a student at the great University of Missouri who witnessed the travesty better known as this year’s basketball squad, I can’t deny that at some point during the season I loathed nearly every single member. One of those players I didn’t want to go full on Latrell Sprewell-on-PJ Carlesimo mode with was Jordan Clarkson. In his lone season at Mizzou, Clarkson played the role of secondary scoring option in Columbia, depending on your affinity for Jabari Brown. The question now is whether Clarkson’s collegiate skills will translate into the next level. He’s not unbelievable in any aspect, but Clarkson excels in transition and penetrates well, like a young Russell Westbrook did at UCLA in the late 2000s. As much as I’d love to sit here and tell you Clarkson will be just like Russ in the big leagues, it just won’t happen.
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That’s no knock on Jordan; he’s a good kid with athleticism and handles, but in all likelihood I don’t think he’s built for stardom in the association. A modest NBA comparison might be Shaun Livingston, a guy who is also oversized at his position (Clarkson was a 6’5 point guard at Missouri) and, like Jordan, does not have a shot beyond the three-point line. A more realistic ceiling for Clarkson is to become a poor man’s Tyreke Evans, a guy who does a tad of everything but nothing extraordinarily outstanding. Nonetheless, there will be a team early on in the second round that will note the Tulsa transfer’s better than average passing and scoring and take a chance on him. His defense at times was valuable last year but is, like much of his game, nothing to write home about.
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The biggest pro in drafting Clarkson: he is the anti-Frank Haith (he left Tulsa for Mizzou), and I mean that in the best way possible. Side note for all two of you still reading this: nobody liked Frank Haith in Columbia during, at the very least, the latter part of his tenure. His win-loss percentage is tremendously overrated. Look at the 2011-12 Missouri Tigers basketball team and tell me they weren’t good enough to have at least one victory in the NCAA tournament. Go ahead. I’ll wait. In all seriousness, Jordan Clarkson’s size and athleticism are what scouts project to be the most NBA-ready. I’d say he’s taken in the first wave of the second round. Those two traits will become increasingly harder to avoid once the Zach LaVines and KJ McDaniels of the class come off the board.
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