Who can help Jordan Clarkson get Philippines to Second Round? / News - Basketnews.com

Jordan Clarkson's fouling out vs. the Dominican Republic highlights the urgent need for the Philippines' secondary scoring, whether it would be June Mar Fajardo, Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, Scottie Thompson, AJ Edu, or others.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

The Philippines' opening night 87-81 loss to the Dominican Republic exposed a major issue for the FIBA World Cup 2023 host team: namely, who can pick up the slack when Jordan Clarkson can't perform to help get the team to the Second Round.

Jordan Clarkson

Position:PG, SGAge:31Height:191 cmWeight:82 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Head coach Chot Reyes is still trying to answer that question with a crucial match-up coming up against Angola in Game 2 of their World Cup campaign.

Clarkson did more than his part against the Dominicans, pouring in 28 points and adding 7 rebounds and 7 assists as he fought to keep the Philippines close in the final minutes of the game.

But the Utah Jazz star fouled out with 3:32 minutes to play, and his team down just 79-76. The host nation could not execute enough down the stretch and ended up losing.

"It wasn't good enough for us. JC [Jordan Clarkson] fouled out in the last few minutes, and that hurt," said Philippines guard Scottie Thompson, who ended up picking up 5 points and 4 assists.

Credit FIBA

June Mar Fajardo was the second-best scorer with 16 points off the bench as he made all five of his field goal attempts and 6-of-8 free throws. The next top scorer was Dwight Ramos with 13 points.

Ramos might be one of the top answers as to who can help Clarkson get to the Second Round. The 24-year-old averaged 13.4 points in the Asian Qualifiers, including four games of 17 points or more.

None of those performances, however, came in his final five appearances. Fajardo, for his part, has long been a solid veteran, but it will be hard for him to repeat his near-perfect night.

Credit FIBA

Kai Sotto collected 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks in his four Qualifiers games, and it was perceived by many that he could be one of Clarkson's major helpers.

But Sotto played only 73 seconds against the Dominican Republic, twice being beaten to the basket by Karl-Anthony Towns and picking up two fouls late in the first quarter before never returning to the game. Reyes insisted Sotto's tournament is not over, and Gilas fans will see more of him.

Credit FIBA

Scottie Thompson might be another option, coming off a great season as he won the domestic PBA title and the former league MVP was named an All-Star for the fifth time. Thompson has already turned 30, though, and he showed some struggles against the Dominicans with 5 turnovers in fewer than 20 minutes.

One other possibility might be 23-year-old big man AJ Edu, who picked up 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks and did his best to slow down Towns. Edu made all three of his field goal attempts, and maybe Reyes incorporates him more into the offense.

One thing is certain: Jordan Clarkson will need help.

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