In the flurry of trades and possible deals involving the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers, guard Jordan Clarkson hasn’t come up much. However, one report indicates that he’s not an untouchable asset and could be sent elsewhere by February’s trade deadline.
Joe Vardon of The Athletic discussed whether or not Clarkson’s production this season has gotten noticed by playoff-worthy teams around the NBA. One drawback Vardon noted was that Clarkson’s only experience on a winning team came with last season’s LeBron James-led Cavs:
“Obviously, the only time Clarkson’s been a part of any sustained winning was last year, upon being traded to LeBron’s Cavs. The playoffs were his first, which makes Cleveland’s Finals berth his first, too. He struggled mightily in the postseason, averaging just 4.7 points and shooting .301 from the field and .239 from 3-point range. Clarkson’s talked a lot about this, about not getting used to not knowing when or if shots are going to come, about being shaken by opponents game-planning for him in a series, and yeah, about the pressure of playing with LeBron. Clarkson’s not going to get another chance in the playoffs this season unless a contender comes calling with a trade offer. Clarkson isn’t angling to be moved, but the right offer would probably pry him from Cleveland.”
Clarkson was acquired along with Larry Nance Jr. last February from the Los Angeles Lakers, but put up inconsistent performances over the four months he was with the Cavaliers. During the offseason, he showed a greater commitment to improving his game, which included revamping his overall diet.
The results have thus far been positive, with Vardon offering these numbers on Clarkson:
“His 16.9-points-per-game average is the highest of his five pro seasons, and he’s never averaged fewer than 11.9 points. He’s shooting more shots (14.9) and 3s (5.2) than ever, his free-throw percentage is a career best (.851) and those rebounds (3.5) are the second most of his career. He’s making the most of a bad situation. He’s been doing that for most of his career, too.”
Still, Clarkson’s scoring increase has largely been tied to the absence of Cavs’ injured power forward Kevin Love. How much he tallies once Love returns is unknown, but he spoke following the team’s Friday night loss in Toronto about the need to push forward despite the team’s current woes:
“I would say I block most of it out in terms of wins and losses, stuff like that. Still come in here trying to improve every day. … Definitely, don’t want to continue to keep losing like this for a long time, but just trying to get better every day and keep grinding.”
The next opportunity for Clarkson to improve on his production will be on Sunday night, when the Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena.
