College DPOY. Great motor with not much of an offensive game. Players shot 18% against Clark in college. Coming off an Achilles injury, was projected as a late 1st round pick before the injury.
College DPOY: Clark, Kessler, Davion Mitchell, Marcus Garrett, Thybull and Javon Carter. All but one has developed a role in the NBA
Jaylen Clark
Re: Jaylen Clark
51 . Jaylen Clark
W | UCLA| Birthdate: Oct. 13, 2001 (Age: 21) | 6-4 | 205 LBS | Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
BACKGROUND Parents are Cornelius and Denita. Has two siblings. Father played basketball briefly in college. Jaylen played his first three years for Centennial High School and for Compton Magic, arguably the biggest AAU program in Southern California. Really emerged as a definite high-major recruit as a junior as he started to become a well-rounded player. Before his senior year, Clark transferred to Etiwanda High School and truly became an elite defensive player. Was an All-CIF Southern Section player as a junior and senior. Was second-team All-State as a senior and took a leap into being an exceptionally sought-after player. Was a solid four-star recruit following this past season and a consensus top-100 player. Clark chose to commit to UCLA over USC and Colorado, among others, in February of his senior year. Surprisingly emerged into a back-end rotation player as a freshman on aloaded UCLA team due to his aggressive and defensive intensity. As a sophomore, he made the Pac-12 All-Defense team despite starting only six games and playing only 18 minutes per night. As a junior, he truly broke out on a national stage and doubled his production outputs to become arguably the best defensive player in the country. He won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award, in addition to being awarded the NABC’s and Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year trophy. He also made second-team All-Pac-12. However, Clark suffered an Achilles injury in mid-March and missed the rest of the season. He had surgery to repair it at the conclusion of the season and will miss at least the next six months of basketball action. Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft despite this injury while maintaining his eligibility. Was not able to compete in any pre-draft workouts at the NBA Draft Combine.
STRENGTHS
Clark is a very quick-twitch athlete at 6-foot-4. Has great length with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. Extremely quick. Great lateral quickness and very fluid hips. Plays very fast. Gets out in transition and runs the court. Motor is incredible. Plays hard constantly. Aggressive on the glass for a wing. Makes the one-percenter plays by diving on the ground and getting loose balls. Has really high-level feel for the game and instincts. Knows how to play within a team construct. Does all the little things, and only some of them show up in the stat sheet. Clark has a very real case as the best perimeter defender in the class. Unbelievable on-ball defender. Footwork and feet are unbelievably good. Slides well and is incredibly difficult to get around. Will straight up beat his man to his spot and take a ton of charges. Everything is very smooth and clean when he slides. No missteps. Directs players to where he wants them to go. Even guys with a fast first step can’t really get past him. Has perfect technique. Then, can get his chest in front of someone and accept contact. Guys bounce backward off him more than you think. Hands are always high. Will annoy the opposing player by putting his hand directly in his face. Contests incredibly well by staying tall and keeping large. Then will straight up rip guys and take the ball from them. Very quick hands. Averaged 2.6 steals per game, which was sixth nationally and tops in the Pac-12. Clark is a perfect team defender. Seems to have incredible anticipation. He has to spend a ton of time reading scouting reports, but also has ridiculous reactivity. Almost seems to pre-rotate knowing what is coming. A preternaturally instinctive defensive player. Stays big in passing lanes, which is a big part of how he ends up with all those steals. Gets around screens at an incredibly effective level, both on and off the ball. Executes every technique, from locking and trailing off the ball to fighting over the top off the ball. Navigates screens very well. Knows how to get through bodies without getting bumped. Stays skinny and gets around technically well. Closes out incredibly well onto offensive players. Always on balance while simultaneously contesting. Very light on his feet while also maintaining a strong core and chest. Never misses the right rotation. He’s unbelievable as a scramble defender given his quickness and instincts. Good when he gets cross-matched and switched onto opposing players. Offensively, Clark is improving. Has good instincts on that end. An impressive straight-line driver who can get downhill and cover ground. Very crafty as a below-the-rim finisher with some creative moves. Can get inside-hand finishes or running hook shots over defenders. If he gets cut off by the man in front of him, his main counter is to spin and get to a turnaround floater. He finished top 100 nationally in terms of points per game that come from floaters. Great timing as a cutter. Knows how to move without the ball. Will 45 cut you off post-ups or will try to find daylight in the dunker spot from the baseline. Has good spatial awareness. Understands how to find those open spaces. I also think Clark’s transition game is really underrated. Turns defense into offense with steals and rebounds. Finished in the top 100 nationally in transition points per game at 3.6 per game even though UCLA played at a below-average pace this past season. Really aggressive in how he tries to take those opportunities, then fills gaps in lanes when he’s off-ball. Will be a great running mate for an up-tempo guard who really likes to get out on the break or for a team that tries to push tempo consistently.
WEAKNESSES
Clark has awesome quickness and is a terrific lateral athlete, but I wouldn’t say he’s an overly explosive player. Doesn’t have a ton of vertical pop. His first step is just fine in the half court. On top of that, while he’s strong and absorbs contact well, I don’t think he necessarily initiates that contact. On top of that, with defense-first wings, you prefer them to be more in the 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 range in the NBA. Clark is in the 6-foot-5 range in shoes and plays more like a guard than a true wing. Can he guard up the lineup and deal with bigger wings and fours? The big question for Clark is the jumper. Made just 33 percent of his catch-and-shoot jumpers this past season. The year before, he made only 26 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts, per Synergy. Didn’t really get closed out on heavily there. Takes his shots off the hop to get into rhythm and needs to be really squared up to the rim to have a chance for it to go in. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always end up being the case. Ends up having some bad misses that go left and right. Not a lot of consistency. Takes him a real second to load up, then the shot is a bit catapult-y. Gathers on left side of his body to load into the shot, and it’s very loud. A ton of movement. Also looks very robotic there. Body just looks kind of twisted up which results in some weird alignment-based issues that will need to get fixed. Don’t think this is a one-year process, especially when he’s expected to miss time at the very least to start next season, along with all his offseason during his draft year. Clark also does not have a particularly impressive handle, especially if he needs to play more as a guard. Doesn’t have a ton of shake. As mentioned above, he doesn’t have an awesome first step. Because he doesn’t have that much explosiveness, his ability to play at pace or change speeds isn’t really all that impactful. Ends up being a bit predictable in his attacks because of it. Also not a particularly impressive passer or playmaker. Takes a lot of poor shots that get blocked or stripped as he’s going up in the lane. Doesn’t drive and kick or make many impressive passes on the move. Only averaged 1.9 assists this past season. Developing this skill would be a big differentiator for him as a role player that could help him get on the floor. The jumper questions also extend to his game off the bounce. Doesn’t have a lot of it in terms of his pull-up jumper. Made just 27 percent of his pull-up jumpers. All the issues with the catch-and-shoot jumper extend down into this concern. Here’s the worry: If Clark can’t shoot at all and struggles to make passing reads, what is the role? Can he be someone defenders have to guard? Can defensive teams just hide their worst defenders on him without any sort of recourse? Or can they put help defenders on him and leave him open?
SUMMARY
Clark is a prospect of extremes. The defense is elite. You could put him on an NBA court right now after about a month of adjusting to his team’s scheme, and he’d be able to impact the game. He has a very strong case as the best perimeter defender in this draft class, and he’s one of the better ones I’ve evaluated in the last few draft cycles. But the offense is a real worry outside of running the court in transition. In his jumper’s current state, I’m worried teams won’t have to guard him when he’s spacing the court. One idea I’ve heard from scouts is that he can be Gary Payton II or Bruce Brown by playing in short rolls almost as a small- ball four and be effective, but both of those players grew up as point guards, are much more athletic than Clark and entered the league with more developed passing skills. Where you draft Clark comes down to how confident you are in his jumper improving. Do you have a plan to help him get better? If you do, he’s worth taking in the top 40. If you don’t, he’s a two-way grade. I think the defense is so good that I’d take a top-50 flier in this class. And, of course, teams will need to make determinations on his injury situation and how long it will take him to recover.
W | UCLA| Birthdate: Oct. 13, 2001 (Age: 21) | 6-4 | 205 LBS | Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
BACKGROUND Parents are Cornelius and Denita. Has two siblings. Father played basketball briefly in college. Jaylen played his first three years for Centennial High School and for Compton Magic, arguably the biggest AAU program in Southern California. Really emerged as a definite high-major recruit as a junior as he started to become a well-rounded player. Before his senior year, Clark transferred to Etiwanda High School and truly became an elite defensive player. Was an All-CIF Southern Section player as a junior and senior. Was second-team All-State as a senior and took a leap into being an exceptionally sought-after player. Was a solid four-star recruit following this past season and a consensus top-100 player. Clark chose to commit to UCLA over USC and Colorado, among others, in February of his senior year. Surprisingly emerged into a back-end rotation player as a freshman on aloaded UCLA team due to his aggressive and defensive intensity. As a sophomore, he made the Pac-12 All-Defense team despite starting only six games and playing only 18 minutes per night. As a junior, he truly broke out on a national stage and doubled his production outputs to become arguably the best defensive player in the country. He won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award, in addition to being awarded the NABC’s and Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year trophy. He also made second-team All-Pac-12. However, Clark suffered an Achilles injury in mid-March and missed the rest of the season. He had surgery to repair it at the conclusion of the season and will miss at least the next six months of basketball action. Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft despite this injury while maintaining his eligibility. Was not able to compete in any pre-draft workouts at the NBA Draft Combine.
STRENGTHS
Clark is a very quick-twitch athlete at 6-foot-4. Has great length with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. Extremely quick. Great lateral quickness and very fluid hips. Plays very fast. Gets out in transition and runs the court. Motor is incredible. Plays hard constantly. Aggressive on the glass for a wing. Makes the one-percenter plays by diving on the ground and getting loose balls. Has really high-level feel for the game and instincts. Knows how to play within a team construct. Does all the little things, and only some of them show up in the stat sheet. Clark has a very real case as the best perimeter defender in the class. Unbelievable on-ball defender. Footwork and feet are unbelievably good. Slides well and is incredibly difficult to get around. Will straight up beat his man to his spot and take a ton of charges. Everything is very smooth and clean when he slides. No missteps. Directs players to where he wants them to go. Even guys with a fast first step can’t really get past him. Has perfect technique. Then, can get his chest in front of someone and accept contact. Guys bounce backward off him more than you think. Hands are always high. Will annoy the opposing player by putting his hand directly in his face. Contests incredibly well by staying tall and keeping large. Then will straight up rip guys and take the ball from them. Very quick hands. Averaged 2.6 steals per game, which was sixth nationally and tops in the Pac-12. Clark is a perfect team defender. Seems to have incredible anticipation. He has to spend a ton of time reading scouting reports, but also has ridiculous reactivity. Almost seems to pre-rotate knowing what is coming. A preternaturally instinctive defensive player. Stays big in passing lanes, which is a big part of how he ends up with all those steals. Gets around screens at an incredibly effective level, both on and off the ball. Executes every technique, from locking and trailing off the ball to fighting over the top off the ball. Navigates screens very well. Knows how to get through bodies without getting bumped. Stays skinny and gets around technically well. Closes out incredibly well onto offensive players. Always on balance while simultaneously contesting. Very light on his feet while also maintaining a strong core and chest. Never misses the right rotation. He’s unbelievable as a scramble defender given his quickness and instincts. Good when he gets cross-matched and switched onto opposing players. Offensively, Clark is improving. Has good instincts on that end. An impressive straight-line driver who can get downhill and cover ground. Very crafty as a below-the-rim finisher with some creative moves. Can get inside-hand finishes or running hook shots over defenders. If he gets cut off by the man in front of him, his main counter is to spin and get to a turnaround floater. He finished top 100 nationally in terms of points per game that come from floaters. Great timing as a cutter. Knows how to move without the ball. Will 45 cut you off post-ups or will try to find daylight in the dunker spot from the baseline. Has good spatial awareness. Understands how to find those open spaces. I also think Clark’s transition game is really underrated. Turns defense into offense with steals and rebounds. Finished in the top 100 nationally in transition points per game at 3.6 per game even though UCLA played at a below-average pace this past season. Really aggressive in how he tries to take those opportunities, then fills gaps in lanes when he’s off-ball. Will be a great running mate for an up-tempo guard who really likes to get out on the break or for a team that tries to push tempo consistently.
WEAKNESSES
Clark has awesome quickness and is a terrific lateral athlete, but I wouldn’t say he’s an overly explosive player. Doesn’t have a ton of vertical pop. His first step is just fine in the half court. On top of that, while he’s strong and absorbs contact well, I don’t think he necessarily initiates that contact. On top of that, with defense-first wings, you prefer them to be more in the 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 range in the NBA. Clark is in the 6-foot-5 range in shoes and plays more like a guard than a true wing. Can he guard up the lineup and deal with bigger wings and fours? The big question for Clark is the jumper. Made just 33 percent of his catch-and-shoot jumpers this past season. The year before, he made only 26 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts, per Synergy. Didn’t really get closed out on heavily there. Takes his shots off the hop to get into rhythm and needs to be really squared up to the rim to have a chance for it to go in. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always end up being the case. Ends up having some bad misses that go left and right. Not a lot of consistency. Takes him a real second to load up, then the shot is a bit catapult-y. Gathers on left side of his body to load into the shot, and it’s very loud. A ton of movement. Also looks very robotic there. Body just looks kind of twisted up which results in some weird alignment-based issues that will need to get fixed. Don’t think this is a one-year process, especially when he’s expected to miss time at the very least to start next season, along with all his offseason during his draft year. Clark also does not have a particularly impressive handle, especially if he needs to play more as a guard. Doesn’t have a ton of shake. As mentioned above, he doesn’t have an awesome first step. Because he doesn’t have that much explosiveness, his ability to play at pace or change speeds isn’t really all that impactful. Ends up being a bit predictable in his attacks because of it. Also not a particularly impressive passer or playmaker. Takes a lot of poor shots that get blocked or stripped as he’s going up in the lane. Doesn’t drive and kick or make many impressive passes on the move. Only averaged 1.9 assists this past season. Developing this skill would be a big differentiator for him as a role player that could help him get on the floor. The jumper questions also extend to his game off the bounce. Doesn’t have a lot of it in terms of his pull-up jumper. Made just 27 percent of his pull-up jumpers. All the issues with the catch-and-shoot jumper extend down into this concern. Here’s the worry: If Clark can’t shoot at all and struggles to make passing reads, what is the role? Can he be someone defenders have to guard? Can defensive teams just hide their worst defenders on him without any sort of recourse? Or can they put help defenders on him and leave him open?
SUMMARY
Clark is a prospect of extremes. The defense is elite. You could put him on an NBA court right now after about a month of adjusting to his team’s scheme, and he’d be able to impact the game. He has a very strong case as the best perimeter defender in this draft class, and he’s one of the better ones I’ve evaluated in the last few draft cycles. But the offense is a real worry outside of running the court in transition. In his jumper’s current state, I’m worried teams won’t have to guard him when he’s spacing the court. One idea I’ve heard from scouts is that he can be Gary Payton II or Bruce Brown by playing in short rolls almost as a small- ball four and be effective, but both of those players grew up as point guards, are much more athletic than Clark and entered the league with more developed passing skills. Where you draft Clark comes down to how confident you are in his jumper improving. Do you have a plan to help him get better? If you do, he’s worth taking in the top 40. If you don’t, he’s a two-way grade. I think the defense is so good that I’d take a top-50 flier in this class. And, of course, teams will need to make determinations on his injury situation and how long it will take him to recover.
Re: Jaylen Clark
“We’re excited. Super excited about Jaylen Clark. We had him as a high first-round grade all year.”
- Tim Connelly on the Wolves draft night
Called him a solid first-round grade before the Achilles tear. Said it’s a 9-12 month recovery from the injury he suffered in March.
- Tim Connelly on the Wolves draft night
Called him a solid first-round grade before the Achilles tear. Said it’s a 9-12 month recovery from the injury he suffered in March.
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Carlos Danger
- Posts: 2400
- Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:00 am
Re: Jaylen Clark
Good call. I like this pick as well. It's more of a safe pick vs. project because I assume they don't have illusions of him being much more than a Kris Dunn type player (defense first - not so much offense). But I like the defense focus and maybe he can find minutes as a role defender like Okogie.kekgeek wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 12:13 am College DPOY. Great motor with not much of an offensive game. Players shot 18% against Clark in college. Coming off an Achilles injury, was projected as a late 1st round pick before the injury.
College DPOY: Clark, Kessler, Davion Mitchell, Marcus Garrett, Thybull and Javon Carter. All but one has developed a role in the NBA
Re: Jaylen Clark
Just watched this UK vs UCLA game to see what Clark is about.
https://youtu.be/c5-JVnlH-Kw
First some thoughts on other players.
I enjoy watching Jacques play. He gets himself in a trouble but he plays hard is really skilled and just knows how to play.
I REALLY enjoy watching Campbell play PG. dude just knows what to do.
Oscar T…one minute I ask myself how is this guy not a drafted guy then the res of the gam plays out and a play here or there and I started saying…that’s why that’s why…. I think he could end up being an NBA player but I do see some flaws.
Now to Clark. The D looks pretty good. At times he is absolutely blanketing guys. He also clearly is looking to play off and help or play passing lanes or maybe just playing percentages. He ended up with 4 steals in the game. The first deceive possession he did all the things I described and when he played off and got his steal it wasn’t a pole away he just went and ripped the ball away from the guy who admittedly was in a bad way. UCLA played good D the whole game.
What stood out to me was the rebounding from Clark. Dude gets up and plays bigger than he looks. There were times he was up there contesting Oscar for rebounds and he got knocked to the floor by him early in the game. He finished with 8 rebounds but also tipped a number of others to keep them alive. He averaged 6 rebounds a game this year and that was his worst rebound rate in college. If he is out there defending guards rebounding is going to be something he could provide.
Clark is nearly always up on his toes bouncing around ready to go. It’s rare to see him flat footed and I notice players that do that sometimes able to move more quickly because they move like that all the time ready to literally jump into action. That describes Clark.
Offense: he isn’t gonna wow you here. He showed some post game which isn’t gonna be used much but he also seemed to have some floater touch. If you wonder about him being more of a Gary Payton type of guy that plays like a big man but guards guards there is some of that in Clark. He can handle the ball well enough to keep things moving on the perimeter and attack a close out. When he moves the ball on the perimeter it’s smooth. He seems to have pretty good basketball IQ. I didn’t see enough of his shot to say much about it. He struggled some at the FT line making only half of them. 3 point shooting does matter but if he is a guy that is a really good defender and rebounds well above average for his position that could be plenty valuable especially where he was drafted.
Anyways I liked what I saw I’m not absolutely convinced on his defense but I also think he could be playing next level D but you can’t always know whether he is doing that or not. I also love the rebounding and how he at times just plays bigger than his size.
https://youtu.be/c5-JVnlH-Kw
First some thoughts on other players.
I enjoy watching Jacques play. He gets himself in a trouble but he plays hard is really skilled and just knows how to play.
I REALLY enjoy watching Campbell play PG. dude just knows what to do.
Oscar T…one minute I ask myself how is this guy not a drafted guy then the res of the gam plays out and a play here or there and I started saying…that’s why that’s why…. I think he could end up being an NBA player but I do see some flaws.
Now to Clark. The D looks pretty good. At times he is absolutely blanketing guys. He also clearly is looking to play off and help or play passing lanes or maybe just playing percentages. He ended up with 4 steals in the game. The first deceive possession he did all the things I described and when he played off and got his steal it wasn’t a pole away he just went and ripped the ball away from the guy who admittedly was in a bad way. UCLA played good D the whole game.
What stood out to me was the rebounding from Clark. Dude gets up and plays bigger than he looks. There were times he was up there contesting Oscar for rebounds and he got knocked to the floor by him early in the game. He finished with 8 rebounds but also tipped a number of others to keep them alive. He averaged 6 rebounds a game this year and that was his worst rebound rate in college. If he is out there defending guards rebounding is going to be something he could provide.
Clark is nearly always up on his toes bouncing around ready to go. It’s rare to see him flat footed and I notice players that do that sometimes able to move more quickly because they move like that all the time ready to literally jump into action. That describes Clark.
Offense: he isn’t gonna wow you here. He showed some post game which isn’t gonna be used much but he also seemed to have some floater touch. If you wonder about him being more of a Gary Payton type of guy that plays like a big man but guards guards there is some of that in Clark. He can handle the ball well enough to keep things moving on the perimeter and attack a close out. When he moves the ball on the perimeter it’s smooth. He seems to have pretty good basketball IQ. I didn’t see enough of his shot to say much about it. He struggled some at the FT line making only half of them. 3 point shooting does matter but if he is a guy that is a really good defender and rebounds well above average for his position that could be plenty valuable especially where he was drafted.
Anyways I liked what I saw I’m not absolutely convinced on his defense but I also think he could be playing next level D but you can’t always know whether he is doing that or not. I also love the rebounding and how he at times just plays bigger than his size.
Re: Jaylen Clark
Good stuff Monster. Yeah, to really get a feel for a guy, it helps to watch a full game or two versus just highlights.Monster wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 10:15 pm Just watched this UK vs UCLA game to see what Clark is about.
https://youtu.be/c5-JVnlH-Kw
First some thoughts on other players.
I enjoy watching Jacques play. He gets himself in a trouble but he plays hard is really skilled and just knows how to play.
I REALLY enjoy watching Campbell play PG. dude just knows what to do.
Oscar T…one minute I ask myself how is this guy not a drafted guy then the res of the gam plays out and a play here or there and I started saying…that’s why that’s why…. I think he could end up being an NBA player but I do see some flaws.
Now to Clark. The D looks pretty good. At times he is absolutely blanketing guys. He also clearly is looking to play off and help or play passing lanes or maybe just playing percentages. He ended up with 4 steals in the game. The first deceive possession he did all the things I described and when he played off and got his steal it wasn’t a pole away he just went and ripped the ball away from the guy who admittedly was in a bad way. UCLA played good D the whole game.
What stood out to me was the rebounding from Clark. Dude gets up and plays bigger than he looks. There were times he was up there contesting Oscar for rebounds and he got knocked to the floor by him early in the game. He finished with 8 rebounds but also tipped a number of others to keep them alive. He averaged 6 rebounds a game this year and that was his worst rebound rate in college. If he is out there defending guards rebounding is going to be something he could provide.
Clark is nearly always up on his toes bouncing around ready to go. It’s rare to see him flat footed and I notice players that do that sometimes able to move more quickly because they move like that all the time ready to literally jump into action. That describes Clark.
Offense: he isn’t gonna wow you here. He showed some post game which isn’t gonna be used much but he also seemed to have some floater touch. If you wonder about him being more of a Gary Payton type of guy that plays like a big man but guards guards there is some of that in Clark. He can handle the ball well enough to keep things moving on the perimeter and attack a close out. When he moves the ball on the perimeter it’s smooth. He seems to have pretty good basketball IQ. I didn’t see enough of his shot to say much about it. He struggled some at the FT line making only half of them. 3 point shooting does matter but if he is a guy that is a really good defender and rebounds well above average for his position that could be plenty valuable especially where he was drafted.
Anyways I liked what I saw I’m not absolutely convinced on his defense but I also think he could be playing next level D but you can’t always know whether he is doing that or not. I also love the rebounding and how he at times just plays bigger than his size.
Man, imagine a backup 3&D SG that can rebound well for his position. Like all these recent picks for the Wolves, they just gotta work with him on his shot.
Re: Jaylen Clark
Not only is he on our Summer League roster. He can stand, too! (and cry)
https://twitter.com/uclabreakdown/statu ... 1752961024
https://twitter.com/uclabreakdown/statu ... 1752961024
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mrhockey89
- Posts: 1072
- Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2013 12:00 am
Re: Jaylen Clark
Finally found you all.
Love the Jaylen Clark tape, especially his defense/playmaking. Seems like every steal he's literally "jumping" the play, and seems to have really good awareness of noticing when opponents stop paying attention to him. Also super active in shot blocking for a guard. He seems like he's just an energetic, smart, talented defender.
Love the Jaylen Clark tape, especially his defense/playmaking. Seems like every steal he's literally "jumping" the play, and seems to have really good awareness of noticing when opponents stop paying attention to him. Also super active in shot blocking for a guard. He seems like he's just an energetic, smart, talented defender.
Re: Jaylen Clark
An Achilles injury seems to be the worst lower extremity injury an NBA player can have. Here’s a study that looks at the impact on Achilles injuries on NBA players. I don’t think there’s anything surprising in this study. I really like Clark, but I would have used pick 53 to take someone else. The Wolves had a first-round rating on Clark and I suspect most other organizations did too. But he dropped to 53 because the medical staffs of every team know what’s in the following article plus a lot more. Honestly, if the Wolves hadn’t drafted him he probably wouldn’t have been drafted.
I hope Clark turns out to be one of the 72 percent who play again after Achilles surgery. If he is, the data show he’ll play fewer games and have a shorter career. The data indicate that his performance will be impeded for the first three years after his return. The good news is that this study didn’t show a gap in performance after the three year mark. Taking Clark was a gamble and it might pay off. But it’s not a gamble I would have taken.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7708715/
I hope Clark turns out to be one of the 72 percent who play again after Achilles surgery. If he is, the data show he’ll play fewer games and have a shorter career. The data indicate that his performance will be impeded for the first three years after his return. The good news is that this study didn’t show a gap in performance after the three year mark. Taking Clark was a gamble and it might pay off. But it’s not a gamble I would have taken.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7708715/
Re: Jaylen Clark
It really impacts defense first types. If you can score/shoot, you have a much easier comeback from that type of injury.