Jordan Clarkson: A Big Piece For The Future

The expectations of Jordan Clarkson have constantly been tempered by Los Angeles Lakers head coach, Byron Scott. The decision is rightfully fitting, especially looking at his rookie status and the position that he’s in currently.

Clarkson is the starter of a franchise that has 16 championships to date, and home of arguably one of the greatest players of all time in Kobe Bryant. How can you not start being anointed by fans as the next big name in Los Angeles?

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With the season winding down, the front office will have to decide if Clarkson will not only play another big part next season, but if he is on the forefront of launching the Lakers back to championship contention.

With solid rookie numbers (15.3 points and 4.9 assists per game) in 36 games as a starter, Clarkson has clearly shown that his development is more than the product of being on a bad team. The Lakers are slated to finish as the league’s fourth worst team and can lock up a solid draft pick.

On top of draft selections, free agency looms, and there could be more personnel changes alongside Clarkson. The best thing about these possibilities are that they can only help the short-handed Lakers.

Clarkson didn’t come in the league as a franchise player like Chris Paul or Kyrie Irving at the point guard position. Obviously, selected as the 46^th overall pick, the Lakers definitely wanted to gauge his potential and build from there. What he has done this season is cement himself as a complementary piece alongside a possible superstar.

Clarkson could be paired with not only Julius Randle (returning from injury next year), but Karl Anthony-Towns, Jahlil Okafor, or D’Angelo Russell as rookies that could be building blocks. As mentioned, free agency could even find the Lakers adding players like Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, or DeAndre Jordan.

Clarkson recently spoke with Los Angeles Times reporter, Mike Bresnahan about possible additions to come:

"“You always want to be surrounded by good players. I think it would be awesome,” Clarkson said. “Or even one of the younger [draft] guys too. It’s going to help us win games.”"

Good players are what wins in the NBA, and the combination of them doesn’t matter to the players. It takes a sense of selflessness and sacrifice to allow yourself to embrace the pieces around you. No one player can lead a team in its desired direction, regardless of their individual success. To hear Jordan Clarkson express the desire to win is a great thing for the Lakers.

At 22 years old, Clarkson has years of basketball ahead of him. What he is learning this season about the NBA game will benefit and provide potential signees to the Lakers a formidable teammate. Some players are not always going to be consensus All-Stars or MVP candidates, but that doesn’t take away from the important contributions that they can provide to the team’s success.

One day, Clarkson could very well be in either of those discussions, but the biggest thing for him is helping the team win.

Next: NBA: 10 Players Who Deserve More Appreciation

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