Cleveland Cavaliers: Three reasons why Jordan Clarkson is best trade chip

Clarkson will fill it up

Clarkson is a combo guard that is going to put a lot of pressure on an opposing defense, especially a bench unit. He has really good speed that allows him to get down the floor in a hurry, both after long rebounds or even after an opponent’s made basket. With the Cavaliers preaching (or at least trying to execute) an uptempo offensive system in most instances (even though they’re just 26th in pace, per NBA.com), Clarkson has been able to showcase more of what he did in his time with the Los Angeles Lakers for over three and a half seasons.

As we’ve often discussed here at KJG, Clarkson is in the NBA to get buckets for a team’s second unit. Initially, he was a starter for the Lakers, but given his better size at 6-foot-5 for a point guard, and with him being a score-first player that is going to be ultra-aggressive in finding his own shot, it’s better for Clarkson to be a second unit playmaker.

If you’re asking Clarkson to set up his teammates and methodically run an NBA offense, you’re going to be disappointed in most instances. While it was reported that Clarkson and then-Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue had been working on Clarkson making strides as a passer, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, (as he will show from time to time with Larry Nance Jr.), there’s not been a whole lot of evidence of that growth.

Clarkson is on track for a career-low in assists, with a mark of just 1.4 per 36 minutes, per Basketball Reference. For a contending team that needs scoring from second unit guards, though, Clarkson is right up that alley. Currently, he’s fifth among qualified players in the Association in bench scoring per game.

The next reason why Clarkson is Cleveland’s best trade piece is that he’s still relatively young.