Jordan Clarkson was recently named the 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award (6MOY), an honor given to the best-performing reserves.
Off the bench: The Filipino American Utah Jazz guard led among all NBA reserves (those not part of his team’s “first five” players), in scoring with a career-high average of 18.3 points per game, in addition to 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists, according to NBA.
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Clarkson is the first off-the-bench player since Manu Ginobili in the 2007-2008 year to average over 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
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He hit 203 three-point field goals off the bench, which was the best in the NBA this season and the fourth-most threes by a reserve in the league’s history.
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His average of 3.0 three-point shots made per game was the all-time third-best rate by a reserve.
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This season, he scored 20-or-more points in 23 games, 30-or-more points in five games, and 40-plus points in two games, which is the most by any reserve player.
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He was the first off-the-bench player since Lou Williams during the 2018-2019 season with multiple 40-point games.
Surprise announcement: Clarkson appeared alongside teammate (fellow 6MOY contender) Joe Ingles on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” show on Monday evening when the award was announced.
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Host Ernie Johnson set up the announcement with a question asking the two players about the award, “How many Utah Jazz players have won it?
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While Clarkson guessed zero, Ingles guessed one as he was in on the surprise.
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When asked to name that one player, Ingles pointed to his teammate, brought the trophy in, and then awarded Clarkson as this season’s winner.
Joseller “Yeng” Guiao, NLEX’s head coach congratulated Clarkson and said he is “probably the best player that I’ve ever coached,” according to ABS-CBN News.
Featured Image via NBA on TNT
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