Jazz's Jordan Clarkson 'Stepping Out of His Shell' Ahead of This Season

The Utah Jazz veteran is taking a new approach this NBA season.

Oct 7, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) warms up before a game against the Houston Rockets at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Heading into this NBA season, the Utah Jazz's youth movement looks to be in full swing, but any good rebuild requires a few veteran leaders in the picture to help step in to lead a young, inexperienced group.

Utah has a few notable names on their roster to fit that mold like John Collins and Lauri Markkanen, but one that's emerged to have an early impact on the roster and their young players has been former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson.

The longest-tenured player on this Jazz squad has made it a clear emphasis that he wants to be a leader for the young guys within the team's rebuild, and without even playing a regular season game, things are trending in the right direction.

During the Jazz's Wednesday shootaround ahead of their third preseason bout, Clarkson dove into how he's approaching this season as a veteran leader.

"I've had to step out of my shell a lot more, in terms of talking and trying to lead that group," Clarkson said. "Talking to Isaiah [Collier], talking to Brice [Sensabaugh], Cody [Williams] in there. John [Collins] has done a great job as well when he's in there with us-- just trying to get guys in a position to make it successful. That's probably the biggest thing that I've been harping on them about."

Clarkson, along with John Collins, have started the preseason spending some significant time playing alongside Collier, Sensabaugh, and Williams in the second unit-- a trend that's likely to continue into the season, considering the current state of this rotation. So far, Clarkson's liked what he's seen.

"Isaiah's been amazing with his pace, being able to get to the paint, make plays out, and when he has a chance, to finish. Brice is doing a good job of controlling his pace and knowing when to score in his points. There's points in the game where he can attack, and he can see the matchup. I see a lot of growth in his game, his body, and everything. Just continue to take steps forward and keep chipping away at this thing."

Both Collier and Sensabaugh have had a solid start to their preseason campaigns through their first two showings, with Collier showing some defensive flashes and Sensabaugh continues to emerge as an appealing scorer at all three levels. As the Jazz and Will Hardy put further emphasis on their youth movement and rebuild process, expect to see more opportunities from both of them further into the season.

And while the Jazz continue to lean into their young talent this season, the 32-year-old Clarkson should be a vital cog in this core's growth as a valuable veteran presence and one who can still produce as a high-volume scorer on any given night.

The Jazz will continue their preseason on Thursday night on the road vs. the Dallas Mavericks, with tip-off starting at 6 PM MT.

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