Getty Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz.
Maybe it’s not quite fair yet to judge the Philadelphia 76ers‘ bench unit. After all, with injuries to James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid, several non-starters have been thrust into the limelight over the last three weeks.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s take a look at how the Sixers’ bench has fared so far this season. The second unit ranks 29th in scoring, with 27 points per game, trailing just the Portland Trailblazers for the league’s worst mark. It’s somehow worse than last season’s mark, where Philadelphia’s bench finished 28th in scoring, prompting the front office to make key moves this summer to address the clear deficit.
With that being the case for Philadelphia, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team go out and look for an added punch off the bench. Enter: Jordan Clarkson. The Utah Jazz guard was recently identified by Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire as a potential player for Philadelphia to target via trade.
“Clarkson has earned a starting job with the Utah Jazz who are off to a surprisingly good start, but considering the idea for the Jazz has been to target Victor Wembanyama in the draft, they might want to think about trading some of their top stars. Clarkson, the 2021 6th Man of the Year, is averaging 19.5 points and 4.8 assists to begin the season for Utah and he would bring instant offense off the bench in Philadelphia.”
Clarkson Could Add Instant Punch to Sixers’ Bench
Let’s start with this premise: Utah was not supposed to be this good. If the season ended today, the Jazz would play the Dallas Mavericks in a must-win play-in game to make the postseason. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a successful season, but keep in mind that they would play the LUKA DONCIC-led Mavericks after selling off the team’s best players over the summer in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
.@SniperShake 📊: 24 PTS | 10 AST | 9 REB | 1 STL | 1 BLK.
he earned his first career double-double tonight.
Clarkson is a big reason behind Utah’s surprising start. He’s averaging a career-high 19.7 points per game on a still-below-average true shooting percentage of 54.9 percent. He’s not shooting the daylights out of the ball this season, but very much has in the past.
One more difference between this season’s version of Clarkson and those of the past: he’s starting this year. But he was already a volume shooter: he attempted nearly seven threes per game over his last six seasons, though started just four games over that span.
He’s proven to put up numbers even when coming off the bench. Now imagine if he had a high-end facilitator like James Harden to provide him with clean looks.
Will the Jazz Blow it Up?
A deal in which the Sixers land Clarkson hinges on two factors.
First, will the Jazz blow it up in the hopes of improving its draft stock for Victor Wembanyama? The Jazz are a feel-good story, but outside of Lauri Markkanen, the team lacks much in the way of long-term potential star power. What happens if the Jazz tries and orchestrates a few deals to stay relevant, only to belly up come February? In all likelihood, Utah scoots along its rebuild, taking a victor-y lap in the name of not-tanking in the process.
Jordan Davis & @NakobeDean showing some #BrotherlyLove
The second sticking point: cost. Clarkson is on the books for $13 million and change this year. Unless Philadelphia gives up on PJ Tucker (they won’t), the team is going to have to bundle together some of its rotation guys to match salaries. Expect Daryl Morey to stay crafty, but even that might be a step too far for the Sixers’ GM.