While other NBA players decided to skip the 2023 World Cup of Basketball, Jordan Clarkson stuck to his promise to join the Gilas Pilipinas in its campaign in FIBA’s main showpiece.
Gilas assistant coach Tim Cone said having Clarkson is a testament to his commitment, given that he is an NBA player who could have utilized the summer to take a break.
“We’re just really excited that Jordan’s here. He’s showing us commitment,” Cone said.
“A lot of NBA players of other teams backed out. It was really nice that he’s here with us. We’re excited about getting him and just see how seamlessly we can get him to go.”
Denver Nugget’s Nikola Jokic won’t be playing for Serbia this year, and so will Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has to skip playing for Greece due to injury.
Other NBA players missing the Cup are Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (France), and 2023 No. 1 NBA Draft pick Victor Wembanyama (France).
Clarkson joined Gilas practice this week, giving the national team time to polish its preparations now that its main offensive weapon is around.
His teammates expect no problem incorporating the NBA star into the system despite the limited time.
Most of the current members of the pool are familiar with Clarkson’s style of play, having already shared the hardcourt with the Filipino-American.
“Jordan’s a great player, and we got good chemistry right now. We just have to incorporate him,” Ray Parks Jr. said. “Jordan is way talented enough to be incorporated.”
Clarkson appeared in two games during the World Cup Asian qualifiers last year, averaging 25 points while shooting 41.2 percent from the three-point area.
“It’s just him getting caught up to speed on some of the new plays we put in from the last time and just making sure everybody is on the same page as far as the game plan defensively,” Chris Newsome said.
“The defense has been a big focus for us. Just make sure he knows all the defensive schemes. I think he’s a smart player; he’s an NBA player, so he’ll be able to pick up a lot of the stuff we’re doing pretty quick.”
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