Filipino hoop fans have waited a long time for this.
Jordan Clarkson had Gilas Pilipinas supporters a bit worried after missing a significant portion of the national team’s buildup for the FIBA World Cup. He wasn’t available for the camp in Europe, and he didn’t make it in time for the pocket tournament in China. There was growing concern among the people, and it was justifiable. Nonetheless, Gilas’ highly touted reinforcement arrived in Manila on August 8 and went to work with his teammates as soon as possible.
On Wednesday evening, the NBA star practiced with Gilas for the first time in the squad’s final preparations for the global hoops summit. Philippine team coach Chot Reyes took to Instagram, and gave the fans a glimpse of Gilas’ much-awaited training session with its main gunner.
In the video, the Utah Jazz scoring specialist can be seen running up and down the floor, putting shots up from beyond the arc. While the clip didn’t show Clarkson making a bucket in a couple of attempts, he did look serious and engaged. Filipino hoop fans may take it as a sign that he’s ready to go all out for the flag.
Before officially being named as Gilas’ official naturalized player for the FIBA World Cup, Clarkson was being challenged for the position by PBA super import Justin Brownlee. It was a hot topic for a while but in the end, the team went with the seasoned NBA talent.
Last season, Clarkson averaged a career-best 20.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists for the Jazz. In his nine-year NBA career, he tallied 15.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per contest. Meanwhile, in the two games he played for Gilas during the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, he normed 25 points, 5.5 boards, and 6.5 dimes.
Also, a noticeable presence during the practice was 7-foot-3 big man Kai Sotto whose status was previously questionable due to an apparent back injury.
The FIBA World Cup is set to tip off on August 25. All eyes will be on Clarkson and how he’ll lead the host team on the game’s grandest stage.