2019 NBA Mock Draft: Re-evaluating the top prospects
11. player. 86. . F/C. Gonzaga. Brandon Clarke
Upon rewatching the Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga and Texas Tech, Clarke was not a guy who jumped off the screen much. The Red Raiders willingly accepted isolation situations, even against mismatches, so Clarke’s elite impact as a team defender was mitigated. Offensively, everything inside-out through Rui Hachimura, making Clarke’s smarts on the short roll less a part of the game plan than usual for Mark Few.
Here are our more specific observations from the game:
- In the second half, Clarke started to make his presence felt a little more. He made the announcers scream by soaring over Texas Tech’s big front line for a key rebound but that was quickly overshadowed by senior guard Matt Mooney scooting right past him to the bucket after a switch. The ability to guard on the perimeter will be huge for Clarke, and he struggled at times in this game.
- Trying to bail out the Bulldogs in a late-clock situation during crunch time, Clarke went to his usual spin move in the post and turned the ball over. Defenses by the end of the year knew it was coming — he will have to get stronger with the ball in his hands in the NBA. At the combine, Clarke said he was working on his handle.
- Clarke made up for losing Mooney by eating Davide Moretti’s lunch on a key possession. Gonzaga kept switching and Texas Tech kept relenting, meaning Moretti took on Clarke in a big moment. Clarke got the better of the smaller guard.
For a while now, the partnership of Clarke and Karl-Anthony Towns has looked like one of the nicest fits of the draft. If Clarke somehow slips despite great athletic measurements at the combine, Minnesota should grab him in an instant.