Editor’s note: Last year, we started off a new weekly roundup of all things Bakersfield Jam. Each weekend after the Bakersfield Jam play, we will break down the week, assess the top performers and break down some of the significant numbers from the past outings.
For the 2015-16 Bakersfield Jam Week 2 roundup, click here.
Last week: Bakersfield Jam (2-5) vs. Warriors (W), Mad Ants (L), Charge (L)
This was by far the toughest week for the Bakersfield Jam. The team started off the week with a big glimmer of hope, effectively avenging their first loss of the season, and getting within one game of .500.
However, things would not work out, as the Jam lost their next two games by a combined seven points, and even had a shot to win with seven seconds left on the clock against the Canton Charge.
Terrico White lined up a three for the win, but it was not in the cards for Bakersfield.
Bakersfield's late rally comes up short. Final in Canton: Jam 98, Charge 100.
— Bakersfield Jam (@BakersfieldJam) November 29, 2015
Clark: 24p-9r
@InMyLifetimexx: 20p@TerricoWhite5: 18p
However, the bright spots continued to be there. Earl Clark was absolutely dominant throughout the week, while C.J. Wilcox and Xavier Munford turned in two really nice performances in the team’s two losses.
Munford in particular averaged 21.3 points per game over the team’s three games, shooting 26-of-46 (56.5 percent) from the field. Normally, that would’ve been good enough to give him the top overall performance of the week, but as I mentioned, Clark was simply ridiculous, especially in the win over Santa Cruz.
Top performance:
This should come as absolutely no surprise.
Earl Clark absolutely dominated in all three games this week, going for 33 points in the team’s first game, 20 points and 14 rebounds in the second and 24 points and nine rebounds in the third. He posted a collective plus/minus of 28 between the three games, and he was one of just three players to post a positive plus/minus in all three games.
Clark did a little bit of everything throughout the week. He picked his spots and chose when to take over. He was hitting with the three-ball, and relied on it somewhat regularly during the team’s first two games, while in the third game, when the jumper wasn’t falling, he went to the rim in the fourth quarter, which didn’t always work out, but was still a good sign to see.
All in all, Earl Clark was the man, and he continued to show why he is probably the most talented player on the team, although to reiterate, he wasn’t the only bright spot on the team. In fact, one of the most recent bright spots has yet to really make his mark.
Even though he didn’t play a good game at all in his first contest, it was nice to see Mac Koshwal back with the Jam. Last year, Koshwal averaged a double-double in Bakersfield, playing in 51 games, and even though he’s never played a regular season game at the NBA level, he’s had Summer League stints with the Detroit Pistons and the then-New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans), in addition to a preseason stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Three numbers to note:
2 — The number of points the Bakersfield Jam lost by to the Canton Charge. That was the first loss by a single-possession this year for the team. Last year, the Jam also lost a one-possession game to the Charge, 98-95, but they were successful in close contests for the most part, closing out the year winning four of their last five one-possession games.
33 — The number of points Earl Clark scored against the Santa Cruz Warriors, on 12-of-24 shooting. Both of those marks — points and field goal attempts — were season-highs for Clark; the 24 shots were a season-high for any Jam player in a single game, while the 33 points were second to only Xavier Munford’s 35 against Reno.
3 — The number of times the Jam have been held below 100 points this year, which presents a steep change from last year. The Jam were held under 100 for a third time on January 3 last season, and actually finished the year with more games scoring 120 or more points (11) than less than 100 points (9). That does not seem like it will be the case again this year, as the Jam have yet to reach 120 points in a game.
Moving forward:
The Jam have two games in the upcoming week, both against the Los Angeles D-Fenders, who defeated them earlier this year. The D-Fenders have gotten off to a strong 6-2 start, and they’ll be expecting some continued excellence from Manny Harris and Vander Blue, who are top two on the team in both minutes and points per game.
Next: 2015-16 Bakersfield Jam Roundup — Week 2
Right now, the D-Fenders sit at first in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, while the Jam are down in fourth. And while it’s probably way too early to call any game a must-win, if the Jam can’t take at least one game from the D-Fenders, keeping in mind that they will essentially have had three tries to accomplish that task, one would have to start to wonder if this season might end up as a total throwaway year for the team, even if the individual talent is pretty solid.