The Utah Jazz continue to clean house this offseason as they trade key components of their roster, and it appears that the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to get involved.
According to Fastbreak’s Brett Siegel, the Bucks are among a handful of teams to express interest in acquiring Clarkson from the Jazz in recent weeks. Siegel noted that among the veteran players still on Utah’s roster following their recent dealings, Clarkson has generated the most interest in trade talks across the league. It would not be surprising to see the 30-year-old guard moved any day now, and here are three reasons why the Bucks should be the team to acquire him.
Jordan Clarkson would help the Milwaukee Bucks upgrade at the backup guard position
There has been plenty of discussion about how the Milwaukee Bucks could use an upgrade in the backcourt off the bench this offseason. George Hill, who many hoped could be a stable point guard in the second unit last season, just had the worst season of his career. Fans have clamored for the front office to seek an upgrade at the position, and Jordan Clarkson would fit the billing.
At this point, Clarkson would certainly be an upgrade over Hill. The 30-year-old has become one of the most reliable bench players in the entire NBA since he joined the Jazz, and the Bucks could use a player of that caliber in their second unit at the guard position. Clarkson is also six years younger than Hill at the moment, so adding him would help the Bucks bring in some more youth, which is an attribute they needed more of this offseason.
Although Clarkson is not a traditional playmaking point guard, having averaged a mere 2.5 assists per game for his career, he would be another capable ball-handler that could give players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo or Jrue Holiday a break from constant ball-handling duties. That could be the key to unlocking some intriguing lineup combinations for the Bucks, especially when they pair him alongside Holiday, due to both of them being combo guards.
In short, Clarkson would immediately help bolster Milwaukee’s guard depth off the bench, and he would be an upgrade over Hill.
Jordan Clarkson would immediately help improve the Milwaukee Bucks’ lack of consistent bench scoring
Primarily due to Bobby Portis having to play most of the season as a starter, the Milwaukee Bucks ranked 27th in bench points per game last season, per NBA.com/stats. Obviously, they would like to bump that number up a few ticks next season, and although Portis returning to the bench could help in that regard, adding a scoring guard like Clarkson could make the second unit even stronger on the offensive end.
Over the last three seasons, Clarkson has started in just four of his 189 regular season contests as a member of the Utah Jazz, and he has been solid. The 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year has put up a solid 16.8 points per game in that timeframe, having given Utah a sizeable boost on the offensive side of things nightly. He could give the Bucks the same lift if given the opportunity, forming a lethal one-two punch offensively alongside Portis. Having that duo alongside Swiss Army Knives in Pat Connaughton and MarJon Beauchamp and Clarkson’s old teammate Joe Ingles would help lessen Milwaukee’s lingering bench concerns from a season ago.
Fans have argued that Clarkson would not fit in well with the Bucks due to his lack of a consistent shot from behind the arc. The guard has knocked down just 33.8 percent of his triples on 5.3 tries per contest throughout his career, which is less than ideal for a team like Milwaukee that relies so heavily on outside shooting. However, at some point, perimeter shooting cannot be the end all be all when it comes to potential targets for the Bucks. After last season, it was clear that the Bucks could have used a microwave scorer off the bench with or without a 3-point shot, and Clarkson is someone who fits the mold.
Jordan Clarkson would alleviate some of the scoring pressure off of the Milwaukee Bucks’ other stars
It is not controversial to say that the Milwaukee Bucks’ starters shouldered a significant chunk of the team’s scoring production last season. Per RealGM, Milwaukee’s starters scored 7,187 points across 82 regular season games last year, which ranked first in the NBA. For reference, the team with the second most was the Chicago Bulls, who scored 6,959. Again, Bobby Portis being placed into the starting lineup full-time played a major role in this, but it was clear all year that the Bucks needed another capable scorer off the bench to lessen some of that workload from the starters.
Milwaukee’s lack of a go-to scorer off the bench came back to bite them mightily in the playoffs. With Khris Middleton out, the Bucks needed other players to step up, but none answered the call. While Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a one-man show for the ages, his supporting cast struggled to give him any assistance offensively. This plagued the Bucks throughout their seven game series versus the Boston Celtics. The Bucks need someone who can take some of the scoring pressure off of players like Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Holiday, and Clarkson is an intriguing option.
Given his pedigree as a second unit scorer, Clarkson could undoubtedly be a sparkplug offensively. His scoring ability would immediately alleviate some of the toll from the Big 3, allowing the trio to play more off-ball and conserve energy for the defensive side of the basketball. When Milwaukee’s offense goes stagnant, which it has been known to do over the past two years, Clarkson could get into the game and help get the wheels turning. A player like that would have been useful last year as the Bucks struggled mightily to score the basketball for seven games against the Celtics.
Stay tuned to see if the Milwaukee Bucks ultimately do make a trade for Jordan Clarkson with NBA training camp currently right around the corner.