The second round pick made his debut in the Western Conference Finals, where is he special?

The first quarter of the first quarter of the Western Conference Finals was in the 9th minute. Chris Finch took Jaden McDaniels and shouted to the Timberwolves bench, "Jaylen Clark, you go!"

Before the Western Conference Finals debut, the 23-year-old Jaylen Clark had only experience in the playoffs: 6 minutes.

But he is not like a rookie who has never played a high-level game. Although the coach only gave him 6 minutes of performance, the rewards received exceeded expectations. He scored a snag in the MVP Alexander scored a tip-in with a free throw, and scored 2 frontcourt rebounds, which was equivalent to adding 3 points to the scoreboard for the team and creating 2 additional offensive rounds.

At least, it is much better than Reed, Divincenzo, and Alexander Walker's performance of 7 of 36 shots, and none of them hits above 30%.

But this is not the point, and what makes people feel that this kid is not simple is that although he only has 6 minutes of playoff experience to base, Clark is not as at a loss as a rookie. You can't see nervousness on his face. His body movements, postures, and enthusiasm on the court are quite pleasant.

He was telling the fans and telling the coach, "I am always ready for this moment."

4 months ago, a similar scene occurred on the Timberwolves bench. In the 7th and a half minutes of the game, Chris Finch replaced Conley and shouted Jaylen Clark's name, "It's time for you to play, boy."

And Clark was completely confused at the time, and he didn't realize that he had the opportunity to play. Before stepping into the stadium, he thought that his task that day was no different from usual: sitting on the bench, applauding and waving a towel after his teammates scored, and taking the bus home after the game...

"I didn't think I was going to play, but I was suddenly thrown on the court by the coach. To be honest, I was a little caught off guard."

Letting Clark enter the rotation was just Finch's temporary intention, and he did not tell Clark to be prepared before the game. Finch wanted to give Clark a surprise and test whether he was ready.

Although Clark verbally said that he was at a loss, his performance on the field did not show the panic that the rookie should have. Without turnovers, he scored points, rebounds and assists, and he limited Devin Booker well. The four-time All-Star failed to score a sports game in front of him.

Not once.

As a coach of a Western Conference Finals team, Fincher has high requirements for the players under his command. When a young player is being picked up for rotation, Finch will allow them to make a small mistake or two, and when Clark gets the chance but “does not make mistakes”, it is probably why he gets Finch favored.

Just like those paper kings who say they have not reviewed but can always get full marks. Although Clark said that he was not ready, his actions and performance showed that he had made great efforts to enter the Wolves' rotation.

In fact, Clark, who was selected in the summer of 2023, has been fighting injuries throughout his rookie season.

Even on Amazon, you can find biography written specifically for him. The introduction in it summarizes the efforts Clark has put in to the NBA:

"Update injuries and be ignored in recruitment. He has faced doubts, setbacks and the cruel training of college basketball, but he has never retreated..."

The 53rd pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. Generally, at this time, the audience has turned off the TV. If you are not the Brownie named James, no one is still paying attention to whether a player has been selected in this position... And Jaylen Clark was called by Adam Xiao Hua at this position.

But he was unable to go on stage to shake hands with Xiao Hua, on the one hand because he was not invited to the Little Green House, on the other hand, he was still recovering from serious injuries at that time...

In UCLA's junior season, it was not only Clark's transformation season, but also a season when he encountered cruel training. Clark increased his scoring level from 6.7 to 13 points and led the Bruins to a myth of unbeaten at home this season, creating the best record since 2008.

They even had the chance to win the top spot in the PAC12 division and went crazy in March Crazy Games. But all this failed with Clark's right Achilles tendon tearing in the final game of the regular season.

If it weren't for the serious injury of a torn Achilles tendon, Clark would have the prospect of a top 40 pick. If he is not injured, UCLA may go further. A defensive player like him may also be further improved on the third stage of madness due to his outstanding performance.

was selected in the summer of 2023, but Clark did not officially return to the field in the Development League until March 2024. This arduous journey of rehabilitation is stressful and painful, and enduring all this and becoming more and more courageous, this performance touched Finch.

"He has been under tremendous pressure to recover from injuries, and this is also a long and frustrating process. But you can never see slackness in his face, and his professional attitude has always been great."

This passage is said from the coach who led the team to the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive seasons, which has a different meaning. Defensive ability and positive attitude have always been something that a strong team needs and will never mind.

Finci actually didn't plan to give Clark a chance to play so early, but the 23-year-old Clark used defense to make the "unplanned decision" he said.

During the regular season, Clark only allowed the defenders who matched him to shoot 38.1% shooting percentage. Some people were surprised to say that his individual defense ability was already at the top five levels of the league...

But interestingly, before Clark entered UCLA, he was a self-centered ball player who was unwilling to do some dirty work and was self-centered.

"I just want to win 20+ in a single game, I don't care whether the team loses or wins." This is Clark's own words.

So he is also very grateful for his three years at UCLA, because it was the coach there Mick Cronin who taught him what the right way to play and what kind of players have the chance to score in the NBA...

If there is a parallel timeline in which Clark continues to do his own things, then you probably won't see him on the Western Conference Finals stage, or even he won't appear in the NBA. Maybe he will be a TikTok internet celebrity...

But on the timeline we are in, Clark follows the rules of UCLA, "If young players are eager to play, they must not make any mistakes at will." He learned how to grasp every ball, and at the same time he also portrayed himself as the best defensive player in the NCAA.

37-year-old Mike Conley played 16 years of professional basketball than Clark. But this uncle-age veteran did not think Clark was immature. He was even surprised, "A rookie who had not played much until the middle of the season could actually play at such a speed in the game, make the right decision, and exert enough influence on the outcome... This is really not simple."

Clark told his teammates, his coach, and the fans who were following him that he was "always ready".

On February 24, 2025, the Timberwolves lost their competitors in the regular season, and they are also the number one in the Western Conference that they are now going to surpass in the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In that game, Jaylen Clark sent 4 steals. Under the interference of Clark, MVP Alexander made 1 of 4 shots in the sports game and made 2 turnovers. And there was only one free throw, and those who have watched Alexander's game this season know that Alexander only got one free throw. What does that mean...

Although the Wolves lost to the Thunder, they defeated the Thunder in overtime to complete revenge the next day - Clark still started in this game.

Edwards said, "I love Clark to death"! This sentence is not a false compliment between teammates. It’s Edwards’ heartfelt recognition of Clark.

Perhaps Huazi understood that it was not accidental that their boss Finch put Clark into the rotation in the Western Conference Finals. Perhaps, Clark would be the surprise, the one who helped them defeat the King of the West.