Jazz HC Will Hardy Sounds Off on Jordan Clarkson's Shooting Slump

The Utah Jazz came up short of the Sacramento Kings during their Wednesday meeting at the Delta Center in a 101-118 loss, with the Kings now sweeping the season series after edging out four straight victories on the year.

The Jazz weren't without their strong contributors, most notably with Kessler's historic night in the box score, but the team also had their shortcomings as well. Among those that left a bit more to be desired was Jordan Clarkson, who ended with one of his worst shooting performances since coming to Utah.

In his 31 minutes on the floor, Clarkson finished with two points on 1/14 shooting from the field and 0/8 from three, pairing with six assists, two steals, and three turnovers. The Jazz veteran has been one of the best volume scorers in the league throughout his tenure in Utah, but Wednesday simply wasn't his night.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacted to Clarkson's rough night shooting the ball following the loss.

"Tonight's one of those nights where I don't think we played terribly," Hardy said after the loss. "I think we had moments when we shot the ball really terribly. You guys are going to ask about Jordan [Clarkson] going 1-for-14, I don't know. People get struck by lightning too. Weird things happen. Never seen that in my life, don't think we'll ever see it again."

Clarkson has had a few nights since joining aboard the Jazz where the shot wasn't quite falling, or the efficiency wasn't there, but a 1-for-14 performance is rare for anybody, especially for the former Sixth Man of the Year.

When healthy this season, Clarkson has remained a key cog in the Jazz's offensive gameplan, being the team's fourth-leading scorer, though dealing with some injury troubles in his sixth season in Salt Lake City.

Yet, hope is far from lost for the Jazz veteran for the rest of this season. For a microwave scorer like Clarkson, he'll have numerous opportunities ahead of him to turn things back on and return to form as an electric three-level scorer –– hopefully with improved efficiency as well.

Clarkson will have his next chance to get back on track on Friday when the Jazz face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves back at home, tipping off at 7:30 MT.

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