Jazz G Jordan Clarkson Completely Omitted From NBA's Top 30 Guards

Coming off a career 2022-23 campaign, G Jordan Clarkson is headed into the next NBA season with hopes to build off of his previous noteworthy production. The decision from the Utah Jazz to trade All-Star G Donovan Mitchell last summer effectively cleared the way to transition the former Sixth Man of the Year into the next starting two-guard in Salt Lake City.

All things considered, he didn’t do too shabby.

Through 62 games played, Clarkson posted 20.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in a career-high 32 minutes a night. Essentially, he was tasked to fill the scoring guard role this team lost with the departure of Mitchell. While the efficiency was far from replicated (shooting 44.4/33.8/81.6), he can still be a volume scorer to create his own offense.

His value was enough to earn him another contract with the Jazz, signing a three-year extension worth $50 million to keep him in town. Given another shot to form a competitive roster presents a nice opportunity for Clarkson to be utilized as a key component in any playoff push Utah pursues later this season.

However, NBA media continues to disrespect the Jazz, as Jordan Clarkson failed to find a place in Bleacher Report’s latest prediction of the top 30 guards for next season. Clarkson also was not one of the 13 names touted as an honorable mention.

That tallies up to a total of 43 guards ahead of Jordan Clarkson.

Bleacher Report’s top 15 guards for next season:

1. Luka Doncic
2. Steph Curry
3. Devin Booker
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
5. Damian Lillard
6. Anthony Edwards
7. Jamal Murray
8. De’Aaron Fox
9. Donovan Mitchell
10. Ja Morant
11. James Harden
12. Kyrie Irving
13. Trae…
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 28, 2023

Among the many guys surpassing the Jazz veteran within the honorable mentions include rising stars like Benedict Mathurin, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Williams. Even former Jazz point Mike Conley Jr. found a spot within the group as well. At the bottom of the list resides Chris Paul (t-29th), Austin Reaves (t-29th), Derrick White (t-28th), and Tyler Herro (t-27th).

Clarkson is a bit one-dimensional on the floor, but still managed to be a large factor for the overachievement found with the Jazz a season ago. He may not be quite the caliber as some of the top ten guards, per se, but a position as at least an honorable mention feels to be a fair assessment for the nine-year vet.

Next season will give JC some feasibility to move up in the ranks. He’ll only be 31. years old, and a push to a Play-In appearance could establish him as one of the more valuable vets in the league.

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