Early in the season, Jaylen Clark became a favorite among Minnesota Timberwolves fans. It's hard not to admire his defensive tenacity and continuous energy. However, Clark's offensive skill set has clear limitations -- as time went on, his role in the rotation and overall impact started to dwindle.
As such, once the Wolves traded for Ayo Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. returned from injury, Clark's path to keeping his spot in the rotation seemed dim. Unsurprisingly, in three of Shannon's first four games back, Clark has received a DNP-CD. It's worth noting that in the one game Clark appeared in, he notched just eight minutes in a game without Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.
And now with Kyle Anderson returning to Minnesota, Clark's spot in the rotation is clearly gone.
Clark's path to playing real minutes is slim
Clark's defense was borderline incredible when he played. He can mirror opposing players' movements, which makes him a high-quality point of attack defender. Per Basketball Index, Clark ranks in the 91st percentile for matchup difficulty and the 84th percentile for perimeter isolation defense. This suffocating on-ball defense gave him the (amazing) nickname of Clark County Jail.
Plus, Clark is a disruptive off-ball defender, ranking in the 88th percentile for steals per 100 possessions and the 83rd percentile for deflections per 100 possessions according to Databallr. Sure, he could run into foul trouble at times, but overall, he is a clear positive defender.
The problem is that his offense is far behind his defense. Clark is averaging just 3.8 points on 42.5 percent shooting from the field and 28.8 percent from beyond the arc. Minnesota needs Clark to be a dependable 3-point shooter for him to earn a consistent role in the rotation -- especially since he doesn't create for himself or playmake at a high level.
Ayo's arrival always spelled doom for Clark's spot in the rotation. He offers similar defensive value to Clark with a far more polished offensive skill set. And despite Clark still being able to hang his hat on the defensive side of the ball, lapses became more common on that end of the floor in recent games.
It's fair to give Shannon another shot, as he was a former first-round pick and has more offensive juice. Furthermore, Anderson provides a blend of versatility and playmaking that Clark can't match.
I'm not completely out on Clark carving out a rotational role down the road -- but his offense needs to catch up to his defense. He is 24 and only in his second healthy season (missing his rookie year with an Achilles injury). As such, Clark still has time to grow.
This offseason, Clark enters restricted free agency, meaning the Wolves will have to make a serious decision about his future. Clark's defense should be enough to keep him around, assuming he can be signed to a team-friendly deal.