![]() Clark with UCLA in 2021 | |
No. 0–Minnesota Timberwolves | |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Riverside, California, U.S. | October 13, 2001
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | |
College | UCLA (2020–2023) |
NBA draft | 2023: 2nd round, 53rd overall pick |
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves | |
Playing career | 2023–present |
Career history | |
2023–present | Minnesota Timberwolves |
2023–present | →Iowa Wolves |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Jaylen Bryce Clark [1] (born October 13, 2001 [2] [3] ) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference, earning national honors as both the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and NABC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2023, when he was also voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. A two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection, Clark was named second-team All-Pac-12 as well that year. He was selected by the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft.
Clark was born in Riverside, California. [1] His father, who played one season of basketball at Modesto Junior College, was a tough defender. [4] Clark attended Centennial High School in Corona for three years before transferring to Etiwanda High in Rancho Cucamonga for his senior year. [5] [6] Under Etiwanda coach David Kleckner, a defensive specialist, he developed into a two-way player who played unselfishly. [7] [8] Clark averaged 18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game at Etiwanda, and led the Eagles to the CIF Southern Section Open Division regional finals. [1] [9] He signed a national letter of intent to play with UCLA in 2020. [10]
In his freshman year at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2020–21, Clark was a reserve and averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in nine minutes per game for the Bruins. [11] He made the game-winning free throw in an 80–79 win over Arizona State at home in Pauley Pavilion. [11] [12] In the 2021 NCAA tournament, UCLA unexpectedly advanced to the Final Four. [13] Clark helped lead a 14-point comeback in the First Four with a layup, a pair of assists, and an offensive rebound in an 86–80 overtime win over Michigan State. [13] [14] He had a season-high nine rebounds in 18 minutes in an overtime victory over second-seeded Alabama in the Sweet Sixteen. [1] [11] [15]
As a sophomore in 2021–22, Clark missed six games in January and February due to multiple concussions. Playing off the bench, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. [16] He averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game. [17] [18] In the nine games in which he played 20 or more minutes, Clark averaged 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. [19] In February, during a three-game span versus Washington State, Washington, and Arizona State, he averaged 19.7 points, making 3 of 8 on 3-pointers, and added 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals. [4] [16] According to UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, "With consistent minutes, you’re going to see him produce a lot more on the offensive end". [16]
Clark became a full-time starter in his junior year in 2022–23 after Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard departed. [18] [20] In the Bruins' season opener, he scored 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting and had seven steals in a win over Sacramento State. [21] In the regular season finale against Arizona, he suffered a right Achilles tendon rupture and was ruled out for the 2023 Pac-12 tournament. [17] [22] The top-seeded Bruins advanced to the tournament finals, before losing 61–59 to No. 2-seed Arizona. [23] UCLA, who was vying for a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament, [23] received a No. 2 seed in the West Region, but Clark was ruled out for the season. [24] He underwent surgery three days after the injury. [25] The Bruins lost in the Sweet Sixteen to Gonzaga, with an injured Adem Bona also missing the game for UCLA. [26] Clark averaged 2.6 steals per game during the season, which led the Pac-12 and ranked fourth in the nation. [15] [27] One of the top defensive players in the country, [28] he won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches named him their defensive player of the year. [15] Voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, [27] he was selected again to the conference's all-defensive team, and was also named second-team All-Pac-12. [29] Clark significantly improved on offense and became UCLA's second-leading scorer. [20] [27] He nearly doubled his scoring from the previous season, [28] averaging 13.0 points, six rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30.5 minutes over 30 games. [20] [27] After the season, he declared for the NBA draft. The timetable for his recovery was estimated to be 8–10 months. [15] [25]
Clark was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft with the 53rd overall pick. [30] On July 7, 2023, he signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves, [31] and aimed to return to play around the middle or late in the season. [32] On March 28, 2024, he was transferred to the Iowa Wolves of the G League for rehab. [33]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020–21 | UCLA | 31 | 0 | 9.0 | .500 | .200 | .750 | 2.4 | .2 | .1 | .2 | 2.5 |
2021–22 | UCLA | 29 | 6 | 18.1 | .506 | .259 | .542 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | .2 | 6.7 |
2022–23 | UCLA | 30 | 29 | 30.5 | .481 | .329 | .698 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 2.6 | .3 | 13.0 |
Career | 90 | 35 | 19.1 | .490 | .302 | .661 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .2 | 7.4 |
Source: [34]
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Finally, Clark is at a point where his age starts to work against him since he's already a junior, albeit a relatively young one who won't turn 22 until October.