Import Clark adamant 36ers are real deal
ADELAIDE 36ers import Ian Clark has won an NBA championship alongside Steph Curry, an NBL title in Sydney last season and he believes the 36ers also possess the talent to achieve something “special”.
Clark’s ringing endorsement of the 36ers comes as CJ Bruton’s men need to go on a winning run to make the extended top-six finals format this season.
Adelaide sits in seventh position, just outside the six on points differential, heading into Friday’s crucial clash against the Illawarra Hawks.
Clark has only been in the City of Churches for just over a fortnight, but he has seen
enough to know that the 36ers can make the finals – and have an impact.
“Definitely – I think it’s just about putting it together,” said Clark, who will play his fourth game for the 36ers on Friday.
“We’re continuing to chip away at the little things we need to get better at and building the chemistry with these guys.
“I’m learning their tendencies and they are learning mine, so we can put it together on the floor.
“It hasn’t even been two weeks here, so I’m getting adjusted with the guys and trying to rack these wins up before the playoffs.”
Clark was the ultimate bench weapon for the Sydney Kings last season while he stepped up to a lead role when the Kings lost star guard Jaylen Adams to a hamstring injury. The Kings wouldn’t have won the championship last season without the veteran 31year-old, who displayed his class in Game 3 of the grand final series against Tasmania with three triples down the stretch to finish with 22 points.
Clark knows he is far from that final polished product.
“For sure, I’m still ironing my kinks out,” said Clark, who had 15 points in Adelaide’s New Year’s Eve loss to the Taipans. “I felt really good in the Cairns game, and it will just take being out on the floor with these guys a little bit more.”
The veteran guard, who has 371 games of NBA experience and a championship at the Warriors in 2017, has immense faith in Adelaide.
“I think we can do something special,” he said.