Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 players to watch in the Sweet 16
By Ryan Piers
3. Brandon Clarke
Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Brandon Clarke spent most of the season in the shadows of potential top pick Rui Hachimura. It makes sense, as Clarke transferred from San Jose State prior to the year. If you follow college hoops, you know about Rui — an elite prospect who has helped propel the Zags from a great mid-major program to one of the nation’s best teams. Hachimura, an All-American, deserves the praise.
Clarke might deserve to be a top-five pick. The long-armed, 6’8″ forward is a muscular 215 pounds and incredibly athletic. He’s built for the NBA. Clarke possess a ferocious mean streak comparable to Collin Sexton‘s, which helped him earn the 2019 WCC Defensive Player of the Year award.
So good on defense, Clarke has more blocks (107) than missed field goals (105) this year. Go ahead, get your eyes checked and re-read that last line. It won’t change. A college basketball wing player has more blocks than missed field goals this year. That’s only been done by one other player and Clarke is the first forward to average more than 16 points per game on at least 65 percent shooting since Bo Outlaw in the early ’90s.
The incredibly efficient Clarke leads all of college basketball in the telling statistic of wins share per 40 minutes with .348.
His efficiency was on full display in the Zags’ second round tournament game against Baylor. Clarke dropped 36 points on 15-of-18 shooting with five blocks. His performance was peppered with ferocious slams displaying his jaw-dropping athleticism.
Deadspin said his performance “shouldn’t be possible,” and they’re probably right. It catapulted his draft stock. A strong Sweet 16 performance could land Clarke in Cleveland come draft day.