FILE –: Jordan Clarkson f the Utah Jazz moves the ball up court against the Denver Nuggets during the first half of Game 2 of a first round playoff game at AdventHealth Arena on August 19, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines—It didn’t take much for Jordan Clarkson to stay with Utah following a successful first spell with the club.
The potent scorer signed a four-year, $52 million contract to stay with the Jazz and he said that it’s the team’s chemistry that drew him in more than anything else.
During his media availability, Clarkson said that he’s in the perfect situation to grow not only by himself but also with his team as they gun for their ultimate goal of winning a championship.
“Just the relationships with everybody, you know the guys they’ve been great, and of course coach,” said Clarkson. “Everybody just having the same goal of winning and growing together. I feel like that’s where it all came from and you know, wanting to continue to do great things here in Utah.”
“So like we all got one goal is to, you know, get to the playoffs and make noise and, you know, hopefully win a championship one day.”
Clarkson arrived in Utah in December of 2019 in a trade with Cleveland and he hasn’t skipped a beat as he’s continued his productive exploits off the bench.
The 6-foot-4 combo guard averaged 15.6 points, his second highest production in any point of his career, on 46.2 percent from the field and 36.6% from beyond the arc in 42 games with the Jazz.
Apart from the chemistry with his teammates, Clarkson also enjoyed a bond with head coach Quinn Snyder as the two trace the same roots from University of Missouri.
Snyder, who played collegiate ball with Duke, coached Missouri from 1999 to 2006 wherein he led the Tigers to the Elite Eight of the 2002 NCAA national tournament—the deepest run the school had in March Madness.
Clarkson, meanwhile, played with the Tigers from 2013 to 2014 before he declared for the NBA Draft where he was selected as the 46th overall pick.
“When we think about it, we are very similar to just being able to have open conversations with him,” said Clarkson. “He is such a genius on the court, he just makes the game so much easier for us.”
“You know we all depend on each other. He’s open to having an open dialogue with us and it’s just great. I think he’s probably one of the best coaches out there.”
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