The Utah Jazz, in the midst of their brutal 112-146 blowout to the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, were also able to get their first chance to meet up with a familiar face in Jordan Clarkson since his buyout earlier this summer, parting ways with Utah after six seasons.
Clarkson, thanks to his tenure and veteran guidance in the early parts of the Jazz’s rebuild, is undoubtably a respected figure around Utah, even if not on the roster any longer. And of course, in the months following his departure, those positive feelings clearly linger around the facility, both in the locker room and for head coach Will Hardy.
Hardy, in particular, made sure to hand some praise to the former Jazz guard ahead of facing him for the first time on the other side, having a lot of credit to hand Clarkson for how he helped him along in his first few years on the job as Utah’s coach.
“Jordan [Clarkson]’s one of one. I learned a lot coaching JC,” Hardy said before facing the Knicks. “He taught me a lot about, not only tactics, JC’s incredibly smart. We spent a bunch of time together watching film trying to understand how he sees it, and he taught me a lot.”
“He plays a creative style. He’s elite with the ball in his hands, but he also is very good playing off the ball. As a screener, as a cutter.”
Will Hardy Says Jordan Clarkson Helped Him Build Respect With Jazz