NBA Style Power Rankings: Jordan Clarkson is not afraid to be special

June 22, 2024

Welcome back to a fresh new edition of NBA Style Power Rankings, the internet’s foremost authority on the vanity of NBA players. We know you missed us so dearly last week and for that we are excited to be back, bringing the latest looks from around the league.

We’re at the halfway point of the season and as far the teams’ play on the court, it’s safe to say a hierarchy has been established of who the contenders are. The most serious championship threats are both of the teams is Los Angeles, the scorching hot Utah Jazz and the ascending Brooklyn Nets. Teams such as the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks who were considered to be legitimate candidates to make the NBA Finals before the season started are, for now, still in the process of finding themselves. A fact that can mainly be chalked up to terrible injuries luck, yet still, it remains to be seen if the Celtics and Bucks can find the form that allows them to truly contend at the highest level.

We can hear the chorus of disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers fans loud and clear by this point, which is understandable since their team is currently perched at the top of the Eastern Conference standings and boast who we consider to be the current front runner for MVP in Joel Embiid. That being said, in the biggest moments during the most high leverage offensive possessions, the Sixers are going to be reliant upon the likes of Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry for perimeter playmaking duties … yikes. We’re going to just have to actually see this team muster quality offense in crunch time via Joel Embiid faceup opportunities at the elbow, before we ever believe such an offensive approach can be successful against the league’s top teams. Sorry, that’s just how it goes.

Now for the purposes of SPR, we’re excited in that we don’t see an established order at all. To be sure, guys like Anthony Davis, LeBron James, P.J. Tucker and the like continue to be the most consistent performers during Tunnel Time (I just made this up). Dudes like Jeff Green and Jared Dudley, who in The Culture aren’t known for their dandy dressing, can on any given night rise to the level of the best of ’em. That variance is what gets us excited about watching these guys on a week by week basis.

Let us now unpack this week!

10. Kevin Love

(Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Image

While we’re pretty sure Love gets all his gear from Aime Leon Dore for free, we’re of the opinion they should bring him on in a more official capacity. Make this man the Tyson Beckford to your 1990’s Ralph Lauren Polo. Just make him the face already! Nobody does streetwear’s most self aware brand. The people at ALD know exactly who the brand is and they nail it every single time. FYI, have you guys peeped Premo in their Spring/Summer 2021 promo? They just get it. Anyway Love here sports a very New York City centric crewneck sweater from the brand that is fairly busy for ALD’s usual fair, but still hits. Love allows the sweaters to breathe with classic basics, black relax fit jeans and the all time classic sneaker, white on white NIKE Air Force 1’s. And just for some added spice in the accessory department here Love sports a Bruno Cucinelli bag that costs about triple what my first hoopty ride did.

9. John Wall

Look, nobody is ever going to accuse John Wall of being a minimalist in regards to his personal aesthetic. And his tendency towards flashy labels and bold tones is often why he’s kept off of this list. Sometimes though, it’s possible to look pretty good even while being noisy in your presentation and we think Wall manages to achieve just that here. A lot of folks are about sick of Moncler at this point, and with very good reason. The Italian luxury brand is the go-to outerwear choice of every wealthy person who wants to channel their inner Coco Chanel.

There’s just nothing imaginative about rocking Moncler anymore, but that doesn’t mean they can’t put out an absolutely dope coat every now and again. This joint on Wall here is a perfect example of that. The floral flourishes of this coat are part of a larger Valentine’s Day theme Wall is going for here. Of course with V-Day dunks to match. Wouldn’t be a John Wall outfit without the obligatory Dior item and he goes for a red hoody from the French stalwart. Wall will always do his best to stick out in a crowd, every now and again he makes it worth our attention.

8. Anthony Davis

(Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

Davis at this point reminds me of rapper Pusha T in that, you can predict exactly what you’re going to get every verse or every outfit, yet this predictability is never mundane or rote. And that’s because they are both predictably excellent, every single time. In Pusha’s case he’s going to give you rap bars about illicit substances and in Davis’ he’s going to hit you with a sensible if not elegant top, some perfectly tailored pants, and a sick pair of NIKE’s. In both cases, you know exactly what’s coming, yet you still walk away thoroughly impressed each time. Here AD rocks a Prada knit on top, Amiri jeans and a fresh pair of SB NIKE dunks from the Sean Cliver friends and family pack. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

7. Jeff Green

Uncle Jeff Green has easily been our favorite player to watch this season because he’s the one who most consistently surprises us. We’ve kind of come to expect a baseline level of excellence and daring from guys like P.J. Tucker and Jordan Clarkson and so it’s really hard for them to surprise us at this point. With Green, there’s so much fun in anticipation with the kinds of things he’s going to try next. From color schemes to the kinds of pieces he’ll go with (like long, flowing cardigans) one night to just a dope RHUDE T-shirt the next. Jeff Green is now somehow one of the best dressed men in all of sports.

6. Jordan Clarkson

(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

As striking as his KITH X VERSACE coat may be, this is actually Clarkson taking it light on us. Obviously we’re big fans of this collaboration, even if it’s in the mold of 99% percent of brand collabs these days where they just slaps two logos on an item and call it a day. But in this case were drawn to the color combo and the material of the piece in question. Give us some faux fur any day of the week. Again, Clarkson takes it easy elsewhere in the fit with some pretty basic sweats from RHUDE and vintage Air Jordan 1s. Even when Jordan Clarkson is dimming his own light, he manages to shine.

5. Tristan Thompson

Thompson is one of the guys whose profile as a public figure far outpaces his status as lunch pale NBA guy by virtue of him having fathered a child with one of the most famous people on planet. And we think it’s Thompson’s consciousness of his own fame that drives him to generally take his self presentation pretty seriously. And while he may not always nail it, he’s certainly trying to look the part of attractive celebrity. Here he does just that in a dazzling shirt jacket by Faith Connexion. While we are generally annoyed by the over the top NIKE SB Dunk craze of the moment, Thompson perfectly executes here. Clap it up for Khloé’s baby’s daddy.

4. LeBron James

Akron’s finest in another pair of white pants — after Labor Day! We’ve said it many times before, but it bares mentioning here again, if you wear white pants to work, you are going to get major props from us. Excellent work here by the King this week.

3. Chris Paul

(Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

What we love about Paul is not just the awesome pieces he has such a great eye for, it’s the detailing in his styling of said pieces that sets him apart from most. Paul has made 1980’s style tube socks a thing that is part of most of his looks and you may not love it, but it works for him. This ACNE cardigan is obviously exquisitely made, but what we really enjoyed is Paul’s choice of rolling up his sleeves. Almost as if to say “I came here to work!”. The Isabel Morant utility pants are the ultimate display in the high/low duality of the athleisure wave and why it’s so popular. Those pants could just as easily he worn with a suit jacket as a hoody. White and green t-shirt by LFANT perfectly punctuates the fit as does Paul’s usual choice of Air Jordan 1’s. Homerun by CP3.

2. Jared Dudley

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

Like Jeff Green, Dudley is steadily becoming one of the standout stylists in the NBA. He’s very good at taking a few risks while always maintaining Big Dad Energy. He’s never going to be as out there as a Westbrook or Clarkson, but he’s always willing to show the young guys that he can pull off some unconventional freshness when called upon. Here in a super dope button-up by Greg Lauren, just not the kind of piece you see everyday and Dudley manages to make it look routine. It takes some stones to pair a button-up shirt with a pair of Fear Of God sweats, yet here Dudley is making it look routine, and it works. We even dig the Off- White Air Jordan 1 customs by Chef Huyle, and we generally don’t care much for customs. Dudley has earned our respect and definitely will have us checking for him with a closer eye the rest of the season.

1. P.J. Tucker

(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Cynics are going to say, “Big surprise, Tucker gives you guys a one on one last week and this week he’s number one in SPR. Shocker!” And while that reading of things may have at least a little bit of merit, the truth of the matter is that this orange Valentino puffer coat is just too delectable to not be lauded with the top honors this week. We get that sneakerheads are going to lose it over the Undefeated X Air Jordan 4’s (they’re a grail pair for hordes of folks) but would you just look at this damn coat one more time!? The perfect pastel, the perfect cut, the perfect choice for number 1 on this week’s list.

(Top photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57kW1nbG9obXxzfJFqZmlqX2eAcLrBmmSsrKmhsm68zrCcq2Wilrustc2gqmaxn6p6uK3NrWSfpJGotbp52KisZp%2BfqXqqwI4%3D