MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American cager Jordan Clarkson immediately made his presence felt in his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Playing the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics on Monday (Manila time), the 6-foot-5 guard tallied 17 points.
Jordan Clarkson makes his Cavs debut with 17 points, and the win against the Celtics! pic.twitter.com/EhMoOWMAf7
— NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) February 12, 2018
Clarkson along with former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood and George Hill were part of an 11th hour platoon swap with multiple teams that involved Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose,
Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye to "help clear the air" in the Cavs' locker room, according to young general manager Koby Altman.
The third-year Clarkson was averaging 14.5 points per game going into his first match as a Cavalier. His off-the-bench production helped the Cavaliers notch a 121-99 victory over the Celtics, who were retiring Paul Pierce's jersey at the TD Garden.
The cager, who traces his roots in Pampanga, becomes one of the few players to have played alongside megastars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Can Clarkson, who has been a recurring item in the Philippine national team's personnel wish list for the past few years, help the Cavaliers in their playoff push? We're down to a handful of games to find out!