The rebuilding Jazz have enjoyed a surprising 4-1 start to their 2022/23 NBA season, but still seem likely to trade several of their veteran players prior to February’s deadline. That said, Zach Lowe of ESPN suggested in his podcast The Lowe Post that the team is hesitant to offload 2021 Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson, who has thrived thus far this year.
“I’ve heard the same stuff that other people have reported, that they are just super reluctant to move Clarkson,” Lowe said on the podcast (hat tip to RealGM). ”They’re really fond of him for whatever reason. So, I would peg him as the least likely of all these Jazz guys to get traded.”
The 6’4″ combo guard out of Missouri has stepped into a starting role for the Jazz this season, and is playing well for the team under new head coach Will Hardy. Through five games, Clarkson is averaging 18.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.2 RPG and 0.8 BPG. He’s currently posting shooting splits of .452/.429/.769.
There’s more out of Salt Lake City:
- 21-year-old Jazz reserve guard Talen Horton-Tucker had his first stellar turn for Utah in a 14-point, seven-rebound, four-assist, two-steal performance in a 109-101 win over the Rockets Wednesday. Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune wonders if that game could be the catalyst Horton-Tucker needs to start clicking with his new Utah teammates. “[When] opportunity presents itself, I’ll always be ready,” Horton-Tucker said.
- Jazz starting small forward Lauri Markkanen has enjoyed a terrific start to his Utah tenure, to which he in part credits a strong EuroBasket performance this past summer, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Through five games, the seven-footer is averaging 22.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 35.2 MPG. “I think having that experience this summer, coming in confident, I think I showed, yes, to you guys, but even to myself, that I can do all that stuff,” Markkanen told Fischer. “I was the guy this summer. And carrying that over [to Utah], we’ve got a lineup where everybody can do a little bit of everything. But mind-set wise, I’m trying to have that same approach.”
- Jazz reserves Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio have both been placed in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both will miss the team’s Friday contest against the Nuggets.
Jazz if they are serious about a rebuild and trying to get Victor or Scoot need to make some deals soon before they win to many games.
From an on court view they look pretty good. I personally really want to see Sexton and THT start together. I love those guys and think they’d make a solid young backcourt. Sexton who can put up 25 per game, and THT who can do abit of everything.
They would need to be surrounded by some shooters, and then they could be pretty effective together.
Markeneen and Okynyk are two great big men shooters
THT did look good. Hopefully he will find his grove.
Clarkson is shooting 42.9% from 3 lol hell come back down to earth you sell high. You can still work with Lauri and Sexton while drafting Wayamamaburgermeister
Imagine if Pelinka hired a decent GM when he got promoted to VP instead of keeping both jobs. That GM would have told him to trade Westbrook and picks for Clarkson and Bogdanovic or Turner and Hield. Keep THT over Beverly.
Lakers would be a deep team if they would have kept all their homegrown kids and signed AD as a free agent.
If Jeanie doesn’t want to fire Rob she should promote him again and hire a real GM this time.
You’re underestimating LeBron’s role he had in demanding getting a new star by trading away their depth…
Once again, he leveraged his team by threatening to leave just to get what he wanted..He’s done it countless times everywhere he’s been..
Can’t say I blame him, if they’d let me, I’d want to pick and choose who I played with too..lol Thay goes double especially if it is with a friend..
No one wants to hear on this thread about a lousy overpaid bunch of losers who have yet to win a game. Face it, lakers stink
I don’t care what you want to hear Arnold.
I really don’t care that you don’t care, you’re just another deluded laker fan , saying how good they are as they go on to a 20 win season.
I wouldn’t call Markkanen a small forward anymore now that he’s out of Cleveland since he’s listed as the tallest player in their starting lineup. He played out of position as a Cav and now he’s at his natural 4. He’s a classic modern stretch big at 7’0”. Not a wing.
Vanderbilt is a PF who plays inside the arc offensively but is limited on that side of his game. Defensively he functions as more of an SF than Markkanen, though.