Timberwolves fans have been coming up with rotations for the upcoming season with Nickeil Alexander-Walker moving on to the Hawks. Much of the talk has surrounded their two 2024 first-round picks, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., receiving more playing time. But what about their 2023 second-round pick, Jaylen Clark?
Clark didn't make NBA debut until last January
Turning 24 years old on October 13, Clark missed his entire first season in 2023-24. He tore his Achilles in his final game at UCLA and wasn’t able to recover in time to get back on the court. So 2024-25 was Clark’s de facto rookie year.
Starting last season in the G League, Clark didn’t make his NBA debut with the Timberwolves until January 9. It didn’t take long for the 6-foot-5 wing to impress head coach Chris Finch enough to leave him in the rotation. He would appear in each of Minnesota’s last 36 regular season outings.
While Dillingham and Shannon Jr. are talked about more, Clark actually played more than both of them. In his 40 regular season games, Clark averaged 13.1 minutes, compared to 10.6 for Shannon Jr. and 10.5 for Dillingham.
Clark's game most closely resembles Alexander-Walker's
For the past two seasons, Alexander-Walker has best exemplified being the 3-and-D wing coming off the bench for the Wolves. Other than Jaden McDaniels, he was the team’s best wing defender. He also shot 38.4% from beyond the arc during his Minnesota tenure.
Those are qualities that Clark provides, even more so than Dillingham and Shannon Jr. The California native came into the league known as a defensive presence. As a junior in college, his final year at UCLA before entering the draft, he was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
His defensive prowess continued to be shown during his first year playing for the Timberwolves. He led the team in 2024-25 averaging 2.6 steals per 36 minutes. While not a large sample size, Clark connected on 22 of his 51 three-point tries (43.1%). Now, that is something he needs to prove he can do a consistent basis with more volume. He shot 32.9% from three-point territory in his junior year at UCLA, and just 30.2% over the three years.
After Shannon Jr.’s performances against the Thunder in the playoffs, he may be the most likely of the three to receive regular playing time, at least to start the season. For the other two, it could come down to whether Finch wants to play the guy with the seemingly higher overall ceiling (Dillingham) or the one that looks as if he presents a higher overall floor (Clark). Of the three, though, Clark is the one whose game seems to be most similar to Alexander-Walker.