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Utah Jazz
52-20, 1st in West
Playoff Matchup: (8) Memphis Grizzlies
Sean: Jordan Clarkson
Jordan Clarkson (my pick for 6th man of the year by the way) needs to be a consistent and efficient contributor for Utah to make the type of run they are capable of.
With the type of spacing the Jazz implement, Clarkson’s skills are essential. In the playoffs when the game slows down and buckets become harder to get, Clarkson’s heat checks could be the difference between a Utah win or loss. You could argue Joe Ingles does more on a nightly basis but Clarkson has the potential to go off and win a game by himself.
James: Jordan Clarkson
When we think of sixth man of the year we always think of an instant offense guy. This season in particular Clarkson has managed to put up a career high 18.4 points on 42% shooting on a Utah team that has been rolling all season long. To lean on a guy this hard for an entire season says something about Clarkson character as he’s the pure definition of a sixth man. The Jazz are 8-2 when Clarkson goes for 25 or more.
Clarkson was made to be an X Factor as he’s +17 PER when he’s on the court. With the availability of Donovan Mitchell, The need for Clarkson is more of a vocal point for the 1 seeded Jazz
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