Jaylen Clark Scouting Report

 

By: Shanku Nair | @shanku_nair on Twitter | December 1, 2022

Vitals

Name: Jaylen Clark

Height: 6'5

Wingspan: N/A

Weight: 205 lbs.

Age: 21

Position: Wing

College: University of California, Los Angeles

Jaylen Clark Strengths/Areas for Improvement

• Play finisher
• C&S Shooter Upside (46.7% on 2.5 attempts in 6 games as junior)
• Solid shooting mechanics
• Good athleticism, lob threat/rim runner, best in transition
• Great strength, ability to get deep positioning for easy looks
• Comfortable putting ball on the floor attacking closeouts
• Great 2-hand rebounder, always crashes boards (10.4 TRB/40 min)
• Self-aware, plays within his limits, never does too much
• Willing to put body on the line and set screens
• ELITE On ball defender, especially at Point of Attack
• Great lateral movement
• Defensive versatility, can guard 1-4 comfortably, does well vs bigs
• High iq defensively, good positioning, keeps ball in front of him
• Good defensive instincts, active hands
• Screen Navigation
• Rhythm disturber, lots of deflections and steals (3.6/40 min)
• Great motor
• Unforced turnovers despite not playing on the ball
• Playmaking/passing, inaccurate but willing
• Ball-handling, not comfortable with the ball
• Needs space to operate
• Shot creation tools
• Lacks offensive niche

NBA Comparison

A proper NBA Comparison for Jaylen Clark would be Alex Caruso. Like Caruso, Clark

projects as a 3 and D wing whose impact mainly comes on the defensive end. Both are

elite POA defenders who take pride in defending the opposing teams best player. They

both will give maximum effort on every possession, and be the first to the floor on a

loose ball. Offensively, most of their scoring will come on wide open C&S 3s or off cuts.

Caruso is a significantly better playmaker, but if Clark can improve his handle/passing,

it will add a much needed dimension to his game. Both have good athleticism which

they use to grab rebounds with 2 hands and are both fundamentally sound.