How Ian Clark is Helping the Sydney Kings Win

Written for nbl.com.au by Tom Hersz

Sometimes all you need is the right opportunity.

When you’ve had a long lay-off as new Sydney Kings import Ian Clark had, being able to compete again in a strong league with a good team is really all that’s needed.

Clark had played the last two seasons in China with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, but spent a lot of that time in quarantine so he missed a big chunk of last season. The last time he set foot on a professional court before joining the Kings in February, was in April 2021.

So when his agents started looking into the opportunity with Sydney after RJ Hunter was lost for the season, it quickly became apparent that it was going to be a great fit.

Clark, now 31, played six seasons in the NBA, winning a title in 2017 with the Golden State Warriors, before he signed to play in China. He explained this week to NBL Media why it was the right time to come to Australia and the NBL.

“Honestly, just coming off the last few years that I had, being in China and with the pandemic and COVID and everything like that, I felt like it was just a great opportunity for me to get back on the floor and play at a high level,” Clark explained.

“Obviously, everybody knows how good of a league the NBL is and having the quality of players that came through and have gone on to play in the NBA, but at the same time, I feel like they have that kind of talent still here. And for me, [to] just come in and compete at a high level, play at a high level and win, it was the best opportunity for me.”

In his time in the NBA with Utah, Denver, Golden State and New Orleans, Clark earned a reputation as a bench gunner. Someone who could come in off the bench and get his team going offensively.

He started just nine games out of over three-hundred and, in each of his stops, often felt like he had to prove himself to the more established players on those teams.

Since being with the Kings, it’s become clear that he has much more to offer than just his scoring ability. The biggest narrative around Clark has been his influence on the group, his leadership and how he’s been able to help the team keep this winning streak, which now stands at nine games, going.

After they defeated the Perth Wildcats in dominant fashion last Saturday, head coach Chase Buford lauded the impact Clark has had, during his post-game press conference.

“I’ve said it a million times, as good of a player as he is, and he’s a really good player, what Ian brings to our group in huddles, what Ian brings to our group in practice, what Ian brings to our group in the locker room, just all these moments of the game it’s so, so great,” said Buford.

“He’s a veteran leader. It’s a new role for him. Before he’s been the younger guy trying to make it and to solidify his spot around the Kevin Durant’s and the Steph Curry’s, and now he’s that guy for us. And he’s really embraced it, the guys look up to him and they look to him in those moments.”

Amazingly, as much as Clark is having an impact in that role, it wasn’t something that he discussed with either Buford or Kings chief executive Chris Pongrass before he arrived in Sydney.

“It wasn’t honestly,” he insisted.

“I’ve kind of fallen into that role, I would say, in the time I’ve been here. Like I’ve said many times, I’m usually one of the youngest guys in the locker room or the middle guy in the pack, and now it’s a new role, it’s a different role for me, being one of the older guys – me and Brucey. So, I’ve taken on that role as best I can.

“I’m not a guy that would come in and act like I know it all; I still learn from guys around me no matter what age they are. But also, just being able to share some of my experiences and my knowledge when guys want to hear from me, or when I think we need it as a group. Just being one of those guys that tries to be a little bit more vocal and challenging myself, because I’m usually a quiet, reserved guy.

“But, I’m trying to challenge myself to use my competitiveness, my knowledge and me being a veteran, to the advantage of the team.”

And while it’s a different role for Clark and he’s not necessarily used to being the veteran of the team, it’s certainly a role that he’s enjoying.

“Yeah, it’s fun, until I get called old,” he laughed.

“But, in all seriousness, I enjoy it. And for me, I don’t try to think too much about it, I just try to be myself. And I think it will come off naturally if you mean it the right way, if you mean it intentionally and pure, and I feel like that’s what’s been happening.”

In his two seasons with the Warriors, Clark learned a thing or two about winning. In his first year there in 2015/16, with Andrew Bogut as his teammate, they set the NBA record for regular season wins with a 73-9 record, losing in the seventh game of the NBA Finals. Then, in his second season, they won the championship.

Clark took a lot from those two years and while he had some success with other teams too, it was those two seasons that he’s drawing on in terms of what he’s tried to impart on his new teammates in Sydney.

“Just being consistent,” Clark explained.

“I think if you watch successful teams throughout the years on any level, and you can see that obviously longevity and playing together for a long time helps, but at the same time, when you get a special group like we have, I feel like being able to perform at a high level consistently is the best formula to go.

“And obviously we’ve been on this nice win streak, and we want to keep it going, but it’s also about learning from our mistakes and continuing to not drop down to any lower level than [where] we have been. I think that’s one of the biggest things for us.”

With a win streak at nine games, and Clark having been on the active roster for the last six of those, it seems to be working. This Kings team seems to be growing more and more confident with every game and that was evident in how they played in Perth, which was just downright impressive.

So how does Clark explain this win streak? Is it just as simple as everyone knowing their roles and being consistent as he said, or is there more to it than that?

“I think it’s that, but obviously the coaching staff got us going in the right direction,” offered Clark.

“They’re putting us in great positions. But like you said, I think it’s more so everybody understanding what we need from them. From every guy on the floor, guys on the bench, everybody in practice, I think we’re really buying in to understanding how special we are, and not taking it for granted.

“You don’t get on a lot of teams that are special and so when you have one right in front you, you definitely want to take advantage of the opportunity.”

There aren’t many more special teams than that Warriors group that Clark was a part of. Following that 2015/16 team as they went about setting that record of 73 wins was one of the most fun things basketball fans have experienced in the past decade.

And then adding Durant the following season, while it didn’t please everyone, it made that team extra special; must see viewing on a nightly basis and one of the best collections of talent to ever come together.

But being good on paper isn’t enough. You have to perform on the court. And Clark learnt a lot more about what it takes to win than just being consistent. He is now seeing parallels with the Kings.

“For me personally, like I said, being consistent was one of the biggest things. But, I guess understanding roles,” he explained.

“The championship team that I was on, it didn’t matter who was playing well that game. And I think we have the type of group – you could see it in that Perth game, Coach Chase talked about it, nobody took over 12 field goal attempts. So, each night a different guy can get hot and being able to understand that anybody can do that, that’s when you want to cheer your teammates on more and more.

“And that’s kind of the lesson I learned from being in Golden State. We would have games when obviously Steph and KD and Klay would do their thing, but you have a guy off the bench like an Andre [Iguodala] or Shawn [Livingston] or myself and those guys would cheer us on just as much as we would cheer them on when they were doing their thing.

“So, understanding the team camaraderie of that group and trying to apply that, is very helpful for us.”

In some ways, this Sydney team has some similarities to that Warriors team in terms of how they’re constructed.

Jaylen Adams is the driving force – the Steph Curry, setting the tone, getting others going, but then getting his when he needs to. Dejan Vasiljevic can shoot it from anywhere keeping defences honest, so he’s Klay Thompson. Xavier Cooks does it on both ends of the floor and is really unselfish offensively – Draymond Green. While Jarell Martin can go off for a big scoring game on any night but is just as happy focusing on the boards or defence, and while his game is different, that’s the role Durant would play.

Then you have the bench guys who all can come in and play a role and make an impact, which we’ve seen from Angus Glover, Tom Vodanovich, Shaun Bruce, Makur Maker and now Clark.

The bottom line with the Kings is there is tremendous depth, unselfishness and a renewed focus to play on both ends of the floor and that has translated to success, just as it did with the Warriors. While the players are different, Clark shared a similar view.

“I’ve kind of mentioned that recently to a few people that I’ve been talking to,” he said.

“The biggest thing that I can take away from that is our depth. You know, we have obviously the starting five and I think you could throw out another line up and those guys could start as well. Going from Brucey [Shaun Bruce] to Glove [Angus Glover] to MK [Makur Maker], to myself, to other guys like Tommy [Vodanovich]. Everybody knows exactly what they’re supposed to do and if they do that at a high level, they can be interchangeable.

“Obviously, we have – talent wise – Jaylen and Jarrell and DJ. Those guys, they do what they do and I say to Jaylen all the time, he keeps us going. He’s our point guard, but he’s our general and we go how he goes, and I can see the level of focus that he has.

“He’s super-talented, but his calmness that he brings to the game, but also when he gets going, he gets fired up and I think that helps us a lot. But to your point, it’s our depth.

“I think when all of us are healthy, we know exactly what we’re supposed to do and we’re pulling for each other, but we know what we expect from each other as well and we hold each other accountable to that.”

Clark’s own form has been solid and is improving. The game against Perth was his best to date in a Kings’ uniform as he had 19 points on an efficient 8/12 from the field, hitting three triples along the way.

He’s scored in double digits in five of his six games, is hitting a staggering 46.2 per cent from downtown and has also connected on 16/18 free throws this season.

On Monday, Andrew Bogut gave Clark a nice shout out on Twitter, tagging his old Warriors teammates and telling them “Yannnnn is balling fellas!”

Clark’s assessment of his play through six games is based largely around the impact it’s having on the team’s ability to keep winning.

“Just being who I am. I’m a competitor, I like to win but I also like to hold myself accountable as much as I try to hold other people accountable,” he explained.

“But me, obviously only being six games in, people were kind of saying that I could be doing this or that or be doing more, or scoring more or whatever the case may be, but I feel like I’m doing exactly what I need to do. Obviously, it’s showing because we’re winning.

“But for myself, I’m just happy to be back out there and competing. As games go by, I’m getting more and more comfortable, playing the way that I’ve played in the past at a high level. It’s just been a long time since I’ve been on the floor competing, so I’m just happy to be back out there at this moment.”

Coming off that big road win in Perth, things won’t get any easier for the Kings as they travel down to Hobart to take on the JackJumpers on Sunday. In search of their tenth straight win, the Kings have top spot on the ladder in sight, but continue to focus on what they need to do collectively.

No matter the opponent, if they maintain that focus, continue to apply the lessons that Clark has been conveying and get contributions from across their roster, then they give themselves a chance to win again.

But Clark knows Tasmania will be tough to beat.

“I haven’t started watching film on Tasmania yet,” Clark admitted.

“I think we lost to them the last time we played them. They play extremely hard. Obviously, coming into Perth and winning in Perth is a hard thing to do, so we know the type of level you have to play at to get that win, but also, I think it falls back on us.

“I think if we continue to work on the things that we need to work on, whether it’s defensive transition, whether it’s rebounding, taking care of the ball – those little things that we can control, I think that we can continue this streak and keep it going.”

For now, Clark is having a lot of fun. Winning is fun. But he’s also having a big influence on this group. He’s happy playing that role for as long as it’s needed.

“I’m just happy to be here, honestly,” he told the media after the Perth win.

And it’s clear his coaches and teammates, as well as the Kings faithful, are all happy to have him here too.