Report: Clemson forward Jack Clark 'questionable' for season-opener vs. Winthrop

Clemson basketball transfer Jack Clark has returned to practice and is progressing towards playing in the team’s season-opener vs. Winthrop, according to Jon Rothstein.

The college hoops insider reported on Wednesday morning that Clark, a former NC State forward, is still recovering from a hernia injury and came back to the practice floor this week. However, his status for the actual season-opener in a few weeks is still up in the air.

Here was Rothstein’s report of that news, which he tweeted out:

“Clemson’s Jack Clark (hernia) returned to practice this week, but is questionable for the opener on November 6th against Winthrop, per Brad Brownell. Transfer from NC State who averaged 9 PPG and 6.9 RPG last season.”

The versatile front-court piece is back on the court in some capacity, but per the Tigers head coach, there’s no word on whether Jack Clark will suit up for Clemson’s first game of the 2023-24 season.

As a player, Clark was a terrific addition through the portal for Brownell and Clemson. He actually comes over from fellow ACC competitor NC State in a bit of a forward swap. Clark left the Wolfpack to join the Tigers, while Clemson’s own former power forward, Ben Middlebrooks, also hit the portal but wound up in Raleigh with NC State.

So, the obvious question is: who won that trade? Well, all the numbers point to Clark. He averaged right at 9.0 points per game along with 6.9 rebounds per contest, while Middlebrooks averaged a measly 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in comparison. Clark also put up better analytical numbers as a more impactful defensive presence and efficient scorer inside the arc.

The issue with Clark is that he’s way more in love with his jumper than he should be. The kid made 60% of his two-point shots last year from the four-spot, which is great! But he ruined his overall efficiency by jacking up more threes per game (4.2) than twos (3.7) while making just 28% of them.

With a gunner like Joe Girard coming over From Syracuse, plus a knockdown guy in Jake Heidbreder from Air Force, along with a starting center, PJ Hall, who can step out and knock down threes, there’s really no reason for Clark to chuck them up too — at least, not at the rate he did last season.

Jack Clark is the ideal modern four man — a heck of an offensive rebounder (2.0 per game in ’23!) with tremendous defensive versatility and efficient scoring inside the arc. He doesn’t have to force himself to be more involved offensively when the best version of himself is as a role player who crashes the glass, guards opposing wings and cleans up on pick-and-roll finishes from Girard and Chase Hunter.