Former Bruin Has Lockdown Defensive Performance in First NBA Start

Former UCLA guard Jaylen Clark finally made his first NBA start on Thursday, the latest chapter in an inspiring story.

Feb 13, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) dribbles around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark (22) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Jaylen Clark's career at the next level had already seemed to be in jeopardy when he ruptured his Achilles in the final game of his career with UCLA.

The former Bruin standout would still be selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves but missed his entire rookie season while rehabbing from the injury.

It wasn't until last month that Clark finally appeared in his first NBA game, after spending some time in the G-League.

Last week, the former Bruin would turn in a career game in a win over the Houston Rockets, posting 17 points and three rebounds while going 3-of-4 from deep in nearly 19 minutes of action.

In Minnesota's following game, he saw more than 32 minutes of game time and logged 11 points, three steals and three boards.

On Thursday, Clark finally got his first-career NBA start. He played for more than 24 minutes but finished with just 4 points to show for it. He did, however, record two steals and three rebounds and was a defensive menace against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is arguably the best player in the league right now. Clark held him to just one field goal on seven attempts while guarding him.

Regardless of the scoring performance, the night, which ended in a Minnesota win over the Western Conference's best team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who is tied for the best record in the league, marked a significant milestone for Clark, who has made an inspiring climb back from injury.

An Achilles injury can be detrimental to any athlete's career, but for a player who is just on the brink of their professional career, as Clark had been, it holds a lot more weight.

Clark played three seasons at UCLA. His defensive performance against the Thunder shouldn't be a surprise to Bruins fans, as Clark was a defensive star at UCLA, earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his final season with the program. He was named to the Pac-12's All-Defensive Team twice, as well as the 2022-23 All-Pac-12 Second Team.

Clark averaged 13.0 points per game, 6.0 rebounds and a conference-best 2.6 steals in that final season.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.