In the 2020-21 season, Brandon Clarke was plagued by injuries, including successive injuries to his right quadriceps and hip joint, which caused him to play intermittently. He was unable to continue his amazing performance in his rookie year, and Xavier Tillman also eroded his rotation time. In the end, the 2020-21 season ended in less than 10 minutes in the playoffs.
In the 2021 off-season, many people want to know what the real Clarke looks like. Is he a player who cannot be squeezed into the league playoff rotation due to successive injuries, or is he the player who set the most efficient rookie season in history? Efficient green leaves?
And Clarke also wants to prove himself again in the third season of his career, and prepare to be the best mentally and physically.
However, the first 30 games of the 2021-22 season were still affected by injuries, but he returned to the rotation after Christmas and did not miss any more games, and returned to the high efficiency of his rookie season. Among the 175 players who have taken more than 300 shots since Christmas, Clarke's 65.51 TP3T percentage ranks first. At the same time, Clarke is also one of the most valuable all-around substitutes in the league. During the same period, he ranked seventh among NBA substitutes in total points, second in offensive rebounds, third in total rebounds, first in blocks, and third in plus-minus (+185). Clarke not only showed that he is good at singles and mixing in the penalty area, but also improved his ability to assist with the ball. He handed out 59 assists and only made 26 turnovers. Clarke's performance also gave the Grizzlies the best bench lineup in the NBA.
Clarke's mission has not changed since joining the NBA, which is to be responsible for continuing the firepower of the second team. Clarke's scoring efficiency, shot selection and consistency have always been among the best in the league. There are 178 bench players in NBA history who took more than 1,000 shots in the first three seasons of their careers. Only Montrezl Harrell has a higher field goal percentage and two-point field goal percentage than Clarke. Although Clarke won't have stable output every game, and there will still be a gap when facing strong teams, when the main force is not on the court, having someone who can put the ball into the basket is a very big competitive advantage.
However, what makes Clarke more valuable this season is that he breaks through the impression that he only scores points. First of all, Clarke's ability to offensive rebound and protect the basket has also improved. From a statistical point of view, he is also among the best. He is one of the 9 players in the NBA this season with an offensive rebound rate of more than 10% and a blocking rate of more than 4.5% (1,000 games played). minutes or more), the improvements in these two abilities make up for Clarke's lack of outside firepower.
Another value of Clarke to the Grizzlies is that he has a good chemistry with Jaren Jackson Jr., which is also the Grizzlies' most powerful combination. With Clarke and Jackson Jr. on the court together, the Grizzlies outscored their opponents by 12.3 points per 100 possessions, and their opponents averaged 104.5 points per game and a 47.91 TP3T shooting percentage. Although Steven Adams is the starting center, the combination of Clarke and Jackson Jr. is the Grizzlies' real frontcourt killer.
However, there are many substitute players similar to Clarke who performed well in the regular season, but not only lost their original role in the playoffs, but even lost their status and fell out of the rotation and lost their value. For example, Harrell is a recent example. case.
But Clarke didn't let that happen.
Clarke was the most outstanding player against the Timberwolves in the first round. He ranked third on the team with 16.5 points per game and first with 9 rebounds. He also had 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 1 block, and had a 67.91 TP3T hit rate. Clarke is very competitive on defense. When he has to face Anthony Edwards or Karl Anthony-Towns, Clark can provide great interference or even block the opponent even if he cannot completely block the opponent. And Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. are still very lethal.
For the Grizzlies, the most reliable thing about Clarke is his performance in the fourth quarter and critical moments. His 56% shooting percentage is second only to Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, and his scoring stability is also ranked only behind Morant. He also had twice as many rebounds in the fourth quarter as any other Grizzlies player. But in the second round against the Warriors, Clarke's playing opportunities dropped significantly due to their formation and lack of outside play, but his offensive rebounds and disruptive offense in the penalty area still caused trouble for the Warriors many times.
Clarke's bottoming out this season is important to the Grizzlies and himself, not only reaffirming his value, but also showing additional additional functions that can carry over to the tough battle of the playoffs, and now the NBA Both Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins know that Clarke is available in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Although the playoffs ended in the second round, the Grizzlies already have a young core with top talent and green leaf skills, with Morant, Bane and Jackson Jr. as the base, paired with De'Anthony Melton, Dillon Brooks, Ziaire Williams and Tyus Jones, but compared to the above players, Clarke's offensive and defensive capabilities will be the best candidate to assist the main trio.
But the relationship between Clarke and the Grizzlies will become very delicate in the offseason. The Grizzlies have players whose contracts have expired, such as Jones and Kyle Anderson, and players who can negotiate extensions, including Melton, Brooks, Steven Adams and Clarke. They have many important decisions that will affect the future. Clarke's performance from the regular season to the playoffs will convince the team to prioritize his contract extension.
Clarke's contract can be compared to some of last year's players. Wendell Carter Jr. and Robert Williams signed with the Magic and Celtics respectively for 50 million and 54 million in four years. Clarke's age and talent are not as advantageous as Carter Jr. and Williams, but his current influence and contribution are comparable.
And Clarke may also have other ideas and choose to fight for a larger salary as a restricted free agent. For now, Clarke still prefers to stay with the Grizzlies. As long as the Grizzlies' current goal of building a team around Jackson Jr. remains unchanged, it is inevitable to keep Clarke, who has the best combination.
After all, the Grizzlies' future blueprint is to build a strong team with the best adaptability, and Clarke will not be the core, but he will be an important piece of the puzzle.
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