Five-star wing prospect Terrence Clark is from Boston — Dorchester, to be specific — and isn’t shy about letting people know he’d like to play for his home town in the NBA.
“I’m working my hardest so I can put on for my city,” explained the 18-year-old prospect (via MassLive’s Tom Westerholm).
Currently enrolled in New Hampshire’s Brewster Academy (known for sending alumni like Donovan Mitchell and T.J. Warren to the NBA), the heavily recruited prospect committed to Kentucky after reclassifying to the 2020 class.
His heart remains at home, so much so he reached out to the Boston Celtics’ young wing duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for advice. The trio clicked, and now train together when their schedule allows.
From last night: 5-star Kentucky commit Terrence Clarke has been working out with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum
"I want to put on for everybody else in the city, especially me being from Boston, if I was to even play in this gym, I’d be blessed as ever.”https://t.co/najy4bl1eE pic.twitter.com/c8jtOGN3qK
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) December 21, 2019
“They kind of just influenced me to work hard every single day, especially on the off days, the days I come off of games, I talk to them every other day,” Clarke explained.
“They’re always working out, getting in the gym, preparing themselves for the extra games, stuff like that. Me being in the season, I work out with Jaylen, we work out, get shots in, 1-v-1s, stuff like that, just going at each other, make each other better.”
“Jayson and Jaylen, those guys are big supporters for me,” he added.
Still filling into his body, the future Wildcat has been feeling it when going against Brown, who tends to have some of the Celtics’ toughest defensive assignments against players much bigger and stronger than Clarke.
“He’s always being physical with me, and me being 190, 6-foot-7, it’s a little skinny,” Clarke offered with a grin.
“Him putting his weight on me is definitely making me better, like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to definitely get stronger'”.
Our very first 2021 mock draft was released on ESPN dot com today. Here's the top ten. Full 60 pick projection as well as detailed scouting reports on the top 13 prospects seen at the USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp can be found here: https://t.co/ysAJuXHELb pic.twitter.com/7bz6S9Qokj
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) October 14, 2019
The young wing is a highly-regarded prospect, so much so that the Georgia native doesn’t think he needs too much of his help in the first place. “[F]or the most part, a lot of these guys have a lot of great tools already just going into it,” Brown remarked.
“So I’m here if they need me, but at the same time, they’ll figure it out themselves,” he added.
Clarke, already an accomplished hooper in his own right, is at least as interested in the mental aspects of succeeding at a high level, however, and it’s hard to argue for better role models given how far the Jay Team has carried Boston in the past and particularly this season.
“One of the main things for me, I’m really good at basketball, but I could definitely improve my mental to get here too,” explained Clarke. “I kind of try to take things from them that they do in their own lives.”
Ultimately, the soon-to-be-college freshman would like to return to play for his hometown franchise, if it’s in the cards.
“I’m working my hardest just so I can get there,” Clarke said. “I know I want to put on for everybody else in the city, especially me being from Boston, if I was to even play in this gym, I’d be blessed as ever.”
Just watching some of this lanky wing’s bouncy play, exhibiting a crisp handle and solid passing game coupled with three-level scoring ability, ought to get Celtics fans excited.
And if we’re being honest, landing a player like Clarke in the draft would likely be as much of a blessing for Boston as it would Terrence. Projected as a high lottery pick, Boston may need some lottery luck with the Memphis Grizzlies playing better than anticipated.
The Celtics only reasonable chance of landing such a highly-rated prospect is a slim one, requiring both the Griz to be bad enough to land a top-six pick (Boston will get anything lower per terms of the pick’s protection),
On top of that, even with another such prospect added to their talented young core, Memphis would have to be bad enough next season to deliver a draft asset in the range to take Clarke.
While the odds might not be so great, it’s not off the table yet — and even if it doesn’t happen by the draft, if players of the Dorchester native’s caliber put their mind to making something happen, sooner or later, it usually does.
