The Utah Jazz have been good for a while, but they burst on the scene this season as one of the elite teams in the NBA. They currently hold first place in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Phoenix Suns. With only four games remaining on the schedule, Utah has a good chance of earning home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
What has been impressive about Utah's run as of late is the team is still finding success without Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz's star shooting guard has been out since April 16, which originally caused concerns for Utah's hopes to secure first place. Instead, Jordan Clarkson has stepped up to help, providing his team with a lift in Mitchell's absence.
In fact, Clarkson became an even more important asset in the last four games after Mike Conley fell to injury as well. Clarkson has helped keep Utah's home-court dreams alive in the final month of the season, but he isn't always a positive influence, making him the biggest X-factor in the Western Conference Playoffs.
Jordan Clarkson's Role
Jordan Clarkson has played nearly every game off the bench, only starting in one game so far this season. He's currently averaging 17.7 points (a career-high mark), 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He's shooting 41.7% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range.
It has been a somewhat rocky career for Clarkson during his seven seasons in the NBA. He started with the Los Angeles Lakers, joining the team in 2014. He played starting minutes at that time, but once he was shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017, Clarkson has played off the bench ever since.
Clarkson was rather mediocre during his time in Cleveland and was nothing more than a role player for the organization. During the middle of the 2019-20 season, he was traded to Utah, where he broke out as a top bench scorer.
Utah has a massive advantage going for them right now with its depth, as Clarkson has provided a boost with two of the team's top players out of the lineup.
2021 Playoff Outlook
With Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell both aiming to come back to the lineup for the postseason, Jordan Clarkson will serve as that sixth-man spark. Clarkson can catch fire in a hurry and provide a major boost off the bench. Not many teams have a player who can do that at his level with their reserve unit.
Of course, there are times where Clarkson gets a bit trigger-happy, and his shooting percentages have come down a bit since his especially hot start to the season. This is why the guard has to be considered the X-factor of the Western Conference.
If Clarkson is running hot, he makes the Jazz that much more dangerous in the playoffs. Utah needs that extra scoring boost when things slow down in the half court, and Clarkson can get buckets for himself and help swing games off the bench.
However, if Clarkson is just firing away and throwing up bad shots that result in a number of misses, that will be a big problem come playoff time. It could mean the difference between the Jazz going on a deep run and going home early.
Utah is hoping to get the version of Jordan Clarkson who once looked like a Sixth Man of the Year lock. He still could wind up winning the award because of his big scoring numbers, but his slumps are also something to look out for when things get tight in the playoffs.
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