Following Thursday morning’s practice session at Cleveland Clinic Courts, Cavaliers superstar LeBron James spoke to members of the media with regards to Jordan Clarkson’s transition to the team. Though he’s only played in six games for the Cavs thus far, it’s evident that James has been impressed with Clarkson’s game.
“We know what Jordan is capable of doing,” James told Cavs Nation. “Make it as seamless as possible, put the ball in his hands. He’s getting better and better because he’s not where we or he personally wants to be yet.”
As most hoops fans know, the Cavs acquired Clarkson from the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade deadline deal. In what could be described as a sweeping change, Cleveland parted ways with six players. In return, they welcomed four new faces to Northeast Ohio (Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, George Hill, and Rodney Hood).
In his six appearances with the Cavs, Clarkson has racked up averages of 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. The former University of Missouri standout has played 59 games in total this season, averaging 14.5 points on 45.5 percent shooting from the field (33.3 percent from beyond the arc), 3.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds.
Clarkson recently sat down for an interview with John Michael and Rafa Hernandez-Brito of CavsHQ. Amid their wide-ranging discussion, Clarkson was asked to explain the differences in playing alongside James and Kobe Bryant.
“Two different styles of leadership,” Clarkson said during the podcast. “LeBron is very encouraging, bringing everybody along. And Kobe, he’s testing you, seeing what you’re gonna give him. He’s gonna get at you, he’s gonna scream at you, he’s gonna cuss, he’s gonna do whatever it is. He had his own way of leading guys as well. It was two different sides. I’m just blessed to see both of them.”
The Cavs will continue their five-game home stand with a match-up against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night. Tip-off inside Quicken Loans Arena is set for 8:00 p.m. EST with TNT and FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.