Jordan Clarkson might not be on the Utah Jazz anymore, but their fans know all too well about the Clarkson experience. After the New York Knicks scooped him up following his buyout, it only took his first preseason game for their fanbase to realize that no how difficult the challenge may be, there isn’t a shot Clarkson won’t take.
The Knicks played the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA’s first preseason game in Abu Dhabi. Clarkson didn’t play badly, putting up nine points while shooting four-for-nine from the field. However, Knicks fans got their first taste of what Clarkson brings, warts and all.
Clarkson can still score, but Knicks fans are now becoming aware of what they signed up for when they signed him.
Jazz fans can’t help but laugh at this, as this was basically what they went through for five and a half seasons (and one can argue it shouldn’t have lasted that long). Utah granted Clarkson his wish this offseason, where his contributions will go towards helping a winning team. However doing so means he will subject Knicks fans to a roller coaster performance throughout the season.
Sometimes, Clarkson will make them thank their lucky stars they got him, and at others, he will make them want to claw their own eyes out. For as frustrating as Clarkson can be, New York can be comforted by the fact that he only cost them a veteran’s minimum.
Clarkson has a solid chance of returning to the NBA Finals
Even if his tenure with the Knicks will have its ups and downs, joining the Knicks gives him perhaps his best chance of returning to the NBA Finals since he made it with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018. Granted, he wasn’t featured much in their rotation then, but he was part of that team.
More importantly, his Jazz tenure helped him become more of an effective basketball player. At 32, his career is likely to trend downward from here, but he proved last season that he still has some good basketball left in him.
The East is wide open with Boston and Indiana, ie the last two teams represent the conference in the NBA Finals, down for the count. The Knicks made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and came within two games of making it to the final round.
This might be their best chance, so adding Clarkson should help their odds. If they make it to the NBA Finals, Jazz fans don’t necessarily have to root for the former Sixth Man of the Year, but they should be happy for him.
he Utah Jazz’s standing still remains the same, but they will be a very different team this season after the moves they’ve made. While Austin Ainge promised that this season would go differently from last season, and they very well may be, the goal is pretty obvious for them: tank for a superstar.
The Athletic’s Alex Speers outlined the Jazz’s goal while discussing why he doesn’t see the Jazz as a surprise team this season.
The Utah Jazz’s standing still remains the same, but they will be a very different team this season after the moves they’ve made. While Austin Ainge promised that this season would go differently from last season, and they very well may be, the goal is pretty obvious for them: tank for a superstar.
The Athletic’s Alex Speers outlined the Jazz’s goal while discussing why he doesn’t see the Jazz as a surprise team this season.
“They have a very clear direction that they are trying to go in. I think they let go of a lot of players in order to play these young guys, and young guys lose games. That’s just a hard and fast rule in the NBA is that when you’re playing young guys, especially young guys with as many question marks as the players on the Utah Jazz, you’re gonna lose games.”
That was their goal last season as well, and while they narrowly avoided disaster from their tanking strategy when they got their hands on Ace Bailey, the big difference is that the productive veterans from last season – John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson – are no longer with the team, which paves the way for youngsters like Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, and Isaiah Collier, among others, to take their place.
The Utah Jazz’s standing still remains the same, but they will be a very different team this season after the moves they’ve made. While Austin Ainge promised that this season would go differently from last season, and they very well may be, the goal is pretty obvious for them: tank for a superstar.
The Athletic’s Alex Speers outlined the Jazz’s goal while discussing why he doesn’t see the Jazz as a surprise team this season.
“They have a very clear direction that they are trying to go in. I think they let go of a lot of players in order to play these young guys, and young guys lose games. That’s just a hard and fast rule in the NBA is that when you’re playing young guys, especially young guys with as many question marks as the players on the Utah Jazz, you’re gonna lose games.”
That was their goal last season as well, and while they narrowly avoided disaster from their tanking strategy when they got their hands on Ace Bailey, the big difference is that the productive veterans from last season – John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson – are no longer with the team, which paves the way for youngsters like Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, and Isaiah Collier, among others, to take their place.
Now, doing so will make Utah worse, but it should at least make them more fun to watch in the process. Losing won’t be enjoyable, but losing with the excitement of young talent developing is more enjoyable.
And when all of it culminates in another high lottery pick, it’s all worth it in the end. Even if Utah winds up with the No. 5 pick, there’s enough young talent in this draft for them to be comfortable with who is available.
But when will Utah stop this strategy?
The Jazz will be bad this season, but they’re doing so hoping that it will lead to getting a franchise pillar in the draft. That all makes sense, but with Lauri Markkanen signed to the team long-term, one can’t help but wonder if the Jazz will stop tanking sooner rather than later.
While many would say that the best way to handle it would be to trade Markkanen, the Jazz have made it clear he’s not going anywhere for now. If they hold true to their word, then this may be the last time they outright tank the season and start trying going forward.
Now, with the process they’re going through, they’ll probably continue to lose most of their games anyway, but will at least be trying not to when they do.
The Utah Jazz will be among the worst teams in the NBA. While fans won’t see a repeat of the depressing show they put up last year, Utah will still be very bad. They won’t be the only team competing for a top pick in the upcoming draft class, but it appears they may have one less team to worry about in the tanking competition: the Boston Celtics.
While it’s already ambiguous as to whether the Celtics were planning to tank, Jayson Tatum has recently gone on a media tour, making it clear that he has not ruled out a return this coming season.
For context, Tatum tore his Achilles during the Celtics’ playoff series against the New York Knicks back in May. Achilles injuries have more often than not been a death sentence for stars like him, but players like Kevin Durant have successfully reacquired their abilities in full after he tore his in 2019.
Tatum was younger than Durant was when he tore his Achilles tendon, and he tore his at an earlier time than Durant did. The latter waited a year and a half to come back from it, so while many would understandably tell Tatum to do the same, he has made it clear that if there’s a sliver of hope he can come back, he will gladly take it.
The Utah Jazz will be among the worst teams in the NBA. While fans won’t see a repeat of the depressing show they put up last year, Utah will still be very bad. They won’t be the only team competing for a top pick in the upcoming draft class, but it appears they may have one less team to worry about in the tanking competition: the Boston Celtics.
While it’s already ambiguous as to whether the Celtics were planning to tank, Jayson Tatum has recently gone on a media tour, making it clear that he has not ruled out a return this coming season.
For context, Tatum tore his Achilles during the Celtics’ playoff series against the New York Knicks back in May. Achilles injuries have more often than not been a death sentence for stars like him, but players like Kevin Durant have successfully reacquired their abilities in full after he tore his in 2019.
Tatum was younger than Durant was when he tore his Achilles tendon, and he tore his at an earlier time than Durant did. The latter waited a year and a half to come back from it, so while many would understandably tell Tatum to do the same, he has made it clear that if there’s a sliver of hope he can come back, he will gladly take it.
Doctors have come out and said it’s possible his return may be earlier than many would have ever dreamed.
If Tatum returns, the Jazz don’t have to worry about the Celtics
Again, it’s not clear whether Boston truly intended to tank this season to begin with, but Tatum’s absence definitely put their season in limbo, regardless of how weak the Eastern Conference is. If he comes back before the calendar year is over, that’s one less team Utah would potentially have to worry about.
The Jazz won’t see much competition from the Western Conference in the tanking game (is anyone in the West not fighting for the playoffs besides them?), but the Eastern Conference has plenty of teams that either definitely will tank or have the potential to do so. Boston definitely fits the latter.
Tatum would not come back unless he knew for certain that he is 100% and that doing so wouldn’t lead to further injuries (which commonly happen in players who tear their Achilles). It seemed like a pipe dream that he would even consider it – Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton have made it clear they are not taking their chances after suffering the same fate around the same time – but Tatum wouldn’t go something like this unless he was confident returning was in play for him.
If he does, Utah can sleep better at night knowing Boston shouldn’t be a problem for their tank. The Jazz already did the Celtics a favor when they took Georges Niang off Boston’s payroll. The Celtics can return the favor in kind by taking themselves out of the tanking race with Tatum’s return.
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