JAKARTA -- Jordan Clarkson got right down to business, a mere six hours after arriving in the country, by joining practice with his new teammates on the Philippine national team as they began preparations for their crucial game against China on August 21 in the men's basketball competition of the 18th Asian Games.
Under different circumstances, the team would have most likely taken the rest of the day off following their 96-59 win over Kazakhstan earlier, but coach Yeng Guiao admitted he wanted to get an up-close look at his new player and speed up his integration with the team.
He was pleased with what he saw.
"You can see he's very quick, you can see his skills are very refined and fine-tuned," Guiao said at the conclusion of the two-hour practice. "That's an indication of high intelligence and high IQ, but of course, you want it to be natural, you want it to be automatic, you want that to be ingrained in him even under pressure against China. We have four days to do that and I'm very confident that he will be a big help in our game against China."
Despite the jet lag from the long flight and time difference between Jakarta and Los Angeles, Clarkson went all out in the scrimmages and drills and listened intently to instructions. His work ethic was not lost on his new coach.
"That's a quality of a good player, not just a good player, but the quality of a good person who's been brought up really well," Guiao said. "You know his upbringing is really good. I guess we can take a little credit for that because he has Filipino blood. He's very Filipino actually. Very accommodating, quiet. He appreciates the efforts of people around him to make him comfortable, to make him relaxed."
Clarkson finally put on his national team jersey right before practice, and he admitted it felt good after the drama of the past week. He also noted he didn't see any problem adapting to Guiao's system despite the limited time.
"It was a lot of dribble drive, a lot of movement, ball screens, I'll fit right into it," he said. "It was easy to pick up for me. Just coming in here, trying to fulfill that, coming here to compete, set an example, just try to win. Just excited to play here, the environment, the team, just being able to put on the jersey and represent the country is just an exciting moment for me."
Clarkson's journey to representing the country in international competition was three years in the making. He first came to Manila in 2015 and practiced with Gilas Pilipinas as they were preparing for the Jones Cup. Although he wasn't allowed to suit up, he made the trip to Taipei and watched two games behind the bench before flying back to the United States.
He almost didn't make it again this time, and it had to take a last-minute turnaround by the NBA to finally allow him to don the Philippine jersey. The team he is joining is vastly different from the one in 2015, with only Gabe Norwood and Asi Taulava still around.
Norwood, who went out of his way to befriend Clarkson during their first practice together three years ago, was pleased to practice with him again.
"It's awesome," Norwood said. "I'm happy for him, first and foremost, to have the opportunity to represent his family, his heritage, I think that's the dream of any Fil-foreigner anywhere, to get the opportunity and it's finally coming true for him. So to be a part of it in the early stages in 2015, when we thought it would happen then, to really see it happen now, is pretty awesome."
When practice ended, the team went through one of their longstanding traditions: the halfcourt shot contest. Each player gets to take an attempt from halfcourt, with the first one to connect winning the contest. Clarkson, joining for the first time, swished it.
After practice, the team was treated to a dinner by PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and the PBA Board of Governors, who flew into town to lend their support. Then it was back to the Athletes' Village for some much-needed rest before they regroup again on Friday for another practice. But be on the lookout for a dramatic moment when the Games formally open.
On Saturday the team will join the rest of the Philippine delegation in the Asiad's opening ceremonies. And when the 300-plus Filipino athletes and officials march into the gigantic Gelora Bung Karno Arena, Jordan Clarkson will be leading the way, waving the Philippine flag as the country's flag-bearer.
ESPN5's Lyn Olavario contributed to this report