NBA Market Share Report: Trade Deadline Edition
Jordan Clarkson Joins the Cavs
One of the many fragments scattered by way of a roster explosion in Cleveland, Jordan Clarkson finds himself leaving Los Angeles and joining LeBron James as part of a completely reworked Cavaliers roster.
Prior to the trade, Clarkson was one of the top-producing bench scorers in the league, trailing only Lou Williams and averaging the most points per game (14.5) of any player averaging fewer than 25 minutes a night (23.7).
The obvious question: can that continue in Cleveland?
While the glaring assumption may be that Clarkson loses scoring potential and shot volume in his new role, the counter would be that playing alongside a facilitator of LeBron’s caliber could lead to increased efficiency and effectiveness. That would be rather impressive for a guy who’s shooting nearly 45 percent from the field, including 32 percent from deep.
On the other end of the floor, as a lengthy and improving defender, Clarkson can be a nice piece for a Cavs team allowing more than 110 points per game, which in turn could bode well for his minutes moving forward (whether increased or maintained).
Given a salary that has bounced from as low as $3,900 to as high as $7,500 over the course of the last month, we’ll need to keep a close eye to see how it settles in coming games. Clarkson is more than capable of becoming a nice target in his new role, but it’s imperative his salary doesn’t increase at the same rate as the excitement now surrounding a refurbished LeBron & Company.
