SCOUTORY

More Superman than Clarke Can't

Image: Tomi Saarivirta

Chris Clarke is Mr. Triple Double

Videogame numbers from Korisliiga Finland: In 14 games, former Texas Tech and Virginia Tech forward Chris Clarke has triple-doubled SIX times and is averaging 19.9 ppg, 14.9 rpg and 9.4 apg while shooting decent splits of 51 from 2, 35 from 3 and 76 from the foul line.

Almost 40% of his possessions come as a PnR or iso ballhandler. Another 20% are transition-related, as he loves to grab the defensive board and immediately initiate the fastbreak. Clarke is a walking mismatch: He can bully and post up smaller opponents while dazzling bigs with his handles. The prototype point forward is not the athlete that he was at the start of his college career (only one dunk all season so far), but he has reinvented himself as a different archetype.

Would his unique style also work at higher levels, perhaps in a less ball-dominant role? Hard to say, since he is far from the 3-and-D wing profile that is so coveted in the pro ranks these days. You would probably rob him of his biggest strength if you took the ball out of his hands. On the other hand, numbers rarely lie and a player who routinely goes for NBA 2K style triple-doubles at least deserves a shot to prove that he can also do it elsewhere.

Big Data

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