Los Angeles Lakers: Jordan Clarkson Shines In D-League
By Chris Walton
With one rookie, Julius Randle, going down for the year with injury, the Los Angeles Lakers are working their way through the year without opportunity to develop the former Kentucky Wildcat. Fellow draftee Jordan Clarkson is still with the team, and in good health, but wedged in a backcourt logjam.
The combo guard is looking at scarce minutes with Jeremy Lin, Ronnie Price, and even Kobe Bryant getting minutes at point guard.
The Lakers have still found ways to hone his skills. The team has assigned him to their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-fenders, and he is showing promise. Clarkson has appeared in four starts with the team, where he is averaging 19.5 points, seven assists, and 4.8 rebounds.
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Clarkson spends most of his time at point guard, running the team’s offense and finding his way in similar sets that the Lakers run.
The best quality about Clarkson is his aggressiveness. During each contest, he is always in attack mode, using his speed and athleticism to get to the basket. Not only does he look to score, but he is a more than willing passer, as indicated by his seven assists per game.
He mixes his game up with an improved perimeter shot. Thursday night’s victory against the Sioux Falls Skyforce featured a 23-point, seven-rebound and seven-assist performance with a little bit of everything on display.
It’s clear that he is still showing the potential flashed in this year’s summer league and the Lakers know he will eventually become one of their rotation guys.
The time spent with the D-fenders may seem like a waste, but this might prove to be a smart thing by the Lakers. While he may not be getting complete feel for the NBA speed and tempo, the reps he gets can provide him rhythm that can easily become useful pending sudden injuries.
As we’ve all witnessed, players can go down at the blink of an eye, and you never know who has to step in a specific role.
With the current Lakers roster, it is an interesting dynamic that has fans wondering how they are approaching the development of their prospects. The team sits at 8-17 and has little to no chance of making the playoffs.
On top of an abysmal season, there is also just as much of a talent discrepancy between Clarkson, Lin and Price who all play point guard. This further supports the belief that they should provide Clarkson with minutes this season to prepare for the future.
Lakers coach Byron Scott has hinted at using Clarkson a little bit more in games. The team underwent changes in their starting lineup at point guard (Price for Lin) to look for more energy and effort on offense. At any given time, the same thing could happen again.
Despite much demand to see more of Clarkson, fans should not be worried that he will stay glued to the bench. It is just his rookie year, and while you would like him to take his lumps earlier, you don’t want the game to overwhelm him.
As mentioned earlier, the players in front of Clarkson are likely to not move forward with the team in the future. That’s definitely a great thing, as next season the starting point guard position could be wide open for competition. Perhaps Clarkson may gain the trust of the coaching staff and front office.
Regardless, his talents are suggesting he is in for a long stay in Los Angeles, and it should be exciting.