Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson wins NBA Sixth Man honor
FILE PHOTO: May 16, 2021; Sacramento, California, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) shoots a three point basket during the fourth quarter against Sacramento Kings guard Kyle Guy (7) at Golden 1 Center. / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson won the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, learning of the accomplishment while sitting with teammate Joe Ingles during a TNT interview.
The two carved out a spot in league history, too, marking the first one-two finish by teammates in Sixth Man voting.
Article continues after this advertisementClarkson is the first player in Jazz franchise history to win the award.
Joe Ingles hands Jordan Clarkson the #KiaSixth Man of the Year trophy 🎶 pic.twitter.com/pamxUATDqb
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 24, 2021
Clarkson received 65 first-place votes (407 total points) from 100 sportswriters and broadcasters around the globe.
Article continues after this advertisementIngles collected 34 first-place votes and 272 points, with New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose third with 77 points (one first-place vote).
To be eligible for the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started.
Clarkson established a career high in scoring (18.4 points per game) while collecting 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.7 minutes per game over 68 games (one start).
His scoring average of 18.3 points as a reserve was the highest in the NBA.
Clarkson, whose 208 made 3-pointers ranked seventh in the NBA this season, scored 40 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 15 and 41 points against the Golden State Warriors on May 10, giving him two of the five 40-point games off the bench in Jazz history.
The Jazz trail their first-round playoff series against Memphis 1-0 with Game 2 set for Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah.
