When the 2023-24 season began, one of the biggest questions for the Utah Jazz was what would happen on the guard line. With Talen Horton-Tucker and rookie Keyonte George on the roster, as well as two-way players Johnny Juzang and Jason Preston, along with late addition Kira Lewis Jr., and veterans Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn, there were a lot of mouths to feed.
Ultimately, the veterans proved to be valuable in different ways.
As such, grading them is not going to be purely based on their on-court production (though that is certainly a big factor), but also in the context of what the team became over the course of the season and what the players meant to the fan base and to the larger NBA landscape.
Jordan Clarkson — B+
To be the final holdover from the previous “era” of Jazz basketball, in his 30s and wanting to be a part of a winning team with a chance to contend and to spend the season hearing trade rumors and seeing that he’s not going to have a chance to play postseason basketball, it would have been really understandable for Clarkson to be disgruntled. It would have made a lot of sense if he was frustrated and complained about the situation.
But Clarkson never complained. He accepted his role as a mentor and leader for the young players on the roster. He accepted his role as a facilitator and despite any rumors, he has maintained that he loves Utah and would welcome being able to stay in a Jazz jersey.